Freedom in Captivity
Barbaranne Kelly, Guest Writer
TODAY’S TREASURE
What has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel (Philippians 1:12).
When the world came to a halt last year, and the lockdowns and quarantines began, how did you expect to spend your time? Did you see an opportunity or imprisonment? I recently looked over some things that I wrote or began to write in that first month. Early on, I had high hopes for how my time would be profitably spent: writing and organizing, reading and jigsaw puzzles, finally—finally going through the bazillion photos stashed on my external hard drives. As the weeks passed, however, my expectations plummeted along with my energy and my mood, with a corresponding drop in accomplishment. I suspect these goals ran out of gas so quickly because, at their roots, they were rather me-centered.
Paul’s tank was filled not with his own self-centered dreams and goals but with Christ’s. As he was imprisoned in Rome, his gospel work wasn’t derailed. It was merely re-directed. He may not have been free to move from one city to the next sharing the gospel and planting churches, but his Roman guards were a captive audience to his Spirit-filled witness of the Risen Christ, and his letter-writing provided much of the New Testament and therefore has discipled believers worldwide for two millennia. Paul was still walking in the good works that God had prepared beforehand for him to accomplish, even while in prison.
In this, he was following the example of Jesus, who, though he was God, submitted himself fully to his Father’s will in his life:
I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me (John 5:30).
And in his death:
Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done (Luke 22:42).
For both Jesus and Paul, submitting to the will of God the Father yielded eternally greater results than any earthly, temporary, self-centered goals would have brought them. Pursuing the Father’s goals rather than their own may have looked foolish to the watching world, but then, God’s wisdom often does look foolish to unbelieving eyes:
Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. . . . For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men (1 Corinthians 1:20–21,25).
Paul knew that God had placed him precisely where He wanted him:
…for the defense of the gospel (Philippians 1:16).
His tireless witness to those within his reach proved that his imprisonment was for Christ and not only brought glory to God in the salvation of some among his guards and also Caesar’s household (4:22), but it emboldened the free believers in Rome to confidently proclaim Christ without fear (1:13–14).
From a worldly perspective, none of this makes sense. Freedom in captivity, confidence in the face of condemnation, and in Jesus’ crucifixion, life from death. To the naked eye it appears to be upside-down, inside-out, and as confusing as it could be.
Paul’s response?
What then? …Christ is proclaimed, and in that, I rejoice (Philippians 1:18)
LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT
As Paul sat in his prison cell, chained to a Roman guard, he saw not imprisonment but gospel opportunities. This is the vision I need not only for global pandemic lockdowns but for everyday minor inconveniences and changes of plans. Rather than me-centered goals, which are easily derailed or quickly run out of gas, I need enduring goals, fueled by the Holy Spirit, in submission to my Lord Jesus Christ. Only then will I find joy in whatever circumstance I find myself.
But how do I gain a Christ-centered perspective? How do I turn the worldly wisdom in my mind upside down and walk in the foolishness of God’s wisdom? God tells me to only ask in faith, and he will generously give me the wisdom I need (James 1:5–6).
PRAYER
Father, open my eyes to see the freedom that comes from entrusting myself fully to You and Your plans for me. You have placed me where I am for a reason. Grant me the wisdom to see and to do the good works which You have prepared beforehand for me to do—right here and right now. In the matchless name of Christ and for Your glory, I pray, Amen.
More free resources for help hope & healing:
Help & Hope podcasts is a friend stepping into the private pain of listeners, acting as a tourniquet to help stop the bleeding of a hemorrhaging heart. There are over 160 podcasts that cover a variety of topics. This week’s featured story is: ALS - On My Way Home with Dale Meador
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Barbaranne Kelly and her husband Jim are the parents of five of the neatest people they know, and now Barbaranne is the Grandmommy to THREE grand boys! In October that will change to FOUR! Barbaranne and Jim are members of Christ Presbyterian Church in New Braunfels, Texas, where she leads a Bible study for women in the hope that she and they may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge Enjoy and be inspired by more of Barbaranne’s writing at her blog.
For more from Daily Treasure please visit MARKINC.ORG.
Originally published Wednesday, 03 May 2023.
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