Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death

 Philippians 1:19-20

Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve considered courage in the face of opposition to our faith and how we will respond.

Thankfully, we do have eyewitness accounts of Paul in his own writings and from others including Luke who penned the book of Acts. Paul must have experienced the same kind of emotional swings as he wrote from prison, but his confidence in Christ permeates his words. If he is released, he will honor Christ with his life. If he dies, he will still honor Christ above all – including his personal freedom.

I’ve heard it said in various ways, but the strength of our character is revealed when pressure is applied. For most of us, prison isn’t necessary to reveal our character- something as simple as a traffic jam is enough to reveal our characters sometimes.

The question is, will I honor Christ with my life – even when things don’t go my way?