Philippians 1:12-13: Purpose in the Pain
Today’s devotion is based on Philippians 1:12-30: Joy in the Journey: Week 2 (WATCH HERE)
Philippians 1:12–13 (NIV): “Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.”
Pain is never something we choose. When suffering invades our lives it can feel senseless, heavy, and often lonely. We cry out to God, asking “Why?” and get frustrated when we don’t get an immediate answer.
The apostle Paul, writing from a Roman prison cell, shows us that pain is not wasted when we ask a different question than “Why?” When we ask “What is God’s purpose?” we begin to see Christ, even in the tough circumstances.
In Philippians 1:12–13, Paul offers an astonishing perspective on his suffering. He wants the believers in Philippi to know that his imprisonment, far from being a setback, has actually advanced the gospel. That word—”advanced”—is a military term, describing a pioneer force cutting through the wilderness to forge a new path or a nautical term of a ship moving through rough waters. Paul isn’t just enduring prison; he’s recognizing that his hardship is being used by God to break new ground.
It’s easy to miss the radical nature of Paul’s mindset. He isn’t asking to be rescued from prison, Rather, he’s celebrating what God is doing through it. For Paul, prison was not a detour; it was a divine assignment. The result? The entire palace guard, and many others, came to understand that Paul wasn’t just any prisoner. He was in chains for Christ.
As God had purpose in Paul’s pain, so He has purpose in yours, too.
You may not be locked behind physical bars, but maybe you’re in a painful season where you feel stuck, emotionally, financially, relationally, or spiritually. Maybe you’re carrying burdens few people see or understand. Like Paul, you may be tempted to view your current struggle as a barrier to your joy.
But what if your pain is the very platform God wants to use?
Paul’s situation was unjust. He had committed no crime. And yet, God used his confinement as a way to reach an elite group of Roman soldiers, men who may never have heard the gospel otherwise. The painful context of Paul’s life became the very conduit through which others encountered Christ.
Pain, in God’s hands, is never purposeless.
We often think God uses us most when we’re strong and thriving. But Scripture shows that He often works powerfully through brokenness, weakness, and difficulty. It’s in those places that His power and presence are most clearly seen. So what about you?
What pain are you carrying today? What situation feels like a prison, keeping you from the life you imagined?
Could it be that God is doing something beneath the surface?
It may not be clear now, but the promise of Scripture is this: “In all things God works for the good of those who love Him” (Romans 8:28). That includes the tears, the disappointments, and the delays.
Your pain can have purpose, not because it’s good in itself, but because God is good and He knows how to use even the worst parts of our story to shine the light of Christ.
Like Paul, you may not choose the chains. But you can choose the perspective. You can choose to trust that God is working, even here, even now.
And one day, you may look back and say, “What happened to me actually served to advance the gospel.”
Apply: What is the hardship you are facing today that God desires to give you a perspective of purpose, even in the middle of the pain?
Prayer: Lord, thank You for never wasting our pain. Help us to trust You when life hurts and to believe that You have purpose in every part of our story. Use our struggles to shine the light of Christ to those around us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Philippians 1:9-11: A powerful prayer for YOU!
Today’s devotion is based on Philippians 1:1-11: Joy in the Journey: Week 1 (WATCH HERE)
Philippians 1:9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.
When you care for people, you want what is best for those people, or that person.
Paul loved the Christians in Philippi with a love rooted in the grace of Christ. He was grateful for their partnership, but he doesn’t want to rest on past realities, but calls them up to grow into the blessings God has ready for them.
Here’s his prayer.
First, that their love would abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight. He doesn’t just pray that they would “love more” or “feel love more deeply” but rather that their love that is rooted in Christ would grow due to two things: knowledge and depth of insight. Love is a learned behavior. We need to take time to learn more about the facets of love, the nuances of love, the expressions of love, especially from the one who gave perfect love, Jesus. For example a growing knowledge of love leads us to understand that love is unconditional, it demands nothing in return. Love is expressed to enemies. Love seeks to serve, not be served. Grow in your knowledge of God’s grace and love. Abound more in depth of insight to what love is. Depth of insight comes when you experience putting love into practice. You begin to realize the impact and importance of love. You begin to feel love in your inner being. You experience the love of Christ more fully and express it more freely.
Second, Paul prays that as love abounds and your heart and life are tuned into the love of Christ, it provides a place from which discernment can be made to remain pure and blameless until the return of Jesus. A question that is helpful in seeking discernment is this, “Is it loving?” Remember loving isn’t accepting every behavior as ok. Loving is calling evil, evil and good good. Love is living in and by God’s truth, not accepting or giving into the lies of Satan. Love gives us permission to be discerning. God’s love keeps us walking in his commands and focusing on living a life that leads to the praise and glory of God.
Discernment leads us to get rid of these things in our lives:
19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21)
Third, as love abounds, discernment grows, and the fruit of righteousness fills our lives. Here’s what it looks like (Galatians 5:22-25):
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
There is no question of Paul’s passion and heart for the Christians in Philippi. He is calling them to grow in the grace they have experienced and enjoy expressing it each and every day.
The same is true for you.
Grow in God’s love.
Be discerning to stay pure and blameless.
Live today filled with the fruit of righteousness!
Apply: Take time to read Philippians 1:1-11. Make it personal. Don’t read it as the “Philippians” but directed at you and your heart.
Prayer: Lord Jesus thank you for Paul and his passionate prayer for all of us that we would grow in your love, be ever more discerning, and live each day filled with the fruit of righteousness. AMEN
Philippians 1:7-8: Grace connects hearts!
Today’s devotion is based on Philippians 1:1-11: Joy in the Journey: Week 1 (WATCH HERE)
Philippians 1:7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. 8 God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
Grace connects hearts.
Friendships are built around many things. Maybe some of your friends enjoy the same type of activities you enjoy – fishing, golfing, cooking, or camping. Maybe some of your friends are built around common experiences and things you did together – classmates, coworkers, or team mates on a sports team. Maybe some of your friends develop around common location such as neighbors.
Perhaps the litmus test of these type of friendships is if the friendship continues even when the activity, the experience, or the location changes. Are these friendships of convenience or friendships that stick no matter what the activity, experience or location?
You know when you are no longer in the activity together, or the impact of the experience has waned, or you move to a new location.
However, there is one gift from God that unites hearts across the miles, through different experiences and in spite of different interests. That gift is grace.
Paul loved the Philippians because they shared in God’s grace. Paul was a sinner who received the abundance of God’s grace. Paul was in Philippi and saw grace change Lydia’s heart and the jailor and his whole family. Grace moved them to belief and give their lives in service to the Lord.
The same is true today. Grace is a bond which connects people of all backgrounds and interests. Grace works a love for God and a deep love for others who have received grace and helped you to share that grace.
Notice Paul’s phrase, “all of you share in God’s grace with me.” Grace isn’t something we keep to ourselves. It flows freely among believers. It’s not earned, and it’s not scarce. God’s grace is abundant and inclusive. And when we live in that grace, we begin to see others differently—not through the lens of annoyance, judgment, or competition, but through the “affection of Christ Jesus.”
Paul longed for them—not in a shallow, emotional way—but with the very love of Jesus Himself. That’s the kind of love that flows when grace is our foundation. Christ’s affection compels us to bear with each other, encourage one another, and sacrificially serve each other. In a world where relationships are often transactional or fleeting, grace fosters enduring, Christ-centered connection.
This is why Christ’s church is built on grace. It’s why we need to be part of a Christian community. We need relationships built on a common need for grace and a common gift of grace. God’s people aren’t perfect and the lack of grace may be keeping people away from the community of believers.
But Paul’s words are a great encouragement and reminder. Let’s be a person of grace, connected to a community of grace, that lives with and views others through the lens of grace.
This way we will desire to be with that community of grace and long for it when we are away.
Apply: If you are not connected to a community centered on God’s grace, make a commitment to find one now. (Visit crosspointgtx.com for more information.) If you are part of our Crosspoint community, make a commitment to love people with the love of Jesus and be part of fostering a genuine community of believers built on and held together by God’s grace!
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for your grace that not only connects me with my heavenly Father, but with all his children who have received his grace. AMEN.
Philippians 1:6: God’s not done with you!
Today’s devotion is based on Philippians 1:1-11: Joy in the Journey: Week 1 (WATCH HERE)
Philippians 1:6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
When are you going to be done?
Do you have a home project that has taken years to get to and remains unfinished? Has your spouse ever said, “Are you ever going to finish that?”
Perhaps a confident “Yes” is waning to “Hmm, I’m not sure when.”
In San Jose, CA there is a home that was built by Sarah Winchester over the span of 36 years. As heiress to the Winchester Repeating Arms fortune, she spent over $5 million (over $70 million in today’s dollars) to continually add on to a 8 room farmhouse to now an eccentric mansion that has over 160 rooms. The building continued until her death in 1922. The exact reason when she kept building is not exactly known, but seems to be centered on superstition that if she stopped, she would die. (Curious? Here’s link: https://winchestermysteryhouse.com/history/)
The Winchester Mystery house is an anomaly in the history of California, but Paul alludes to a building project that is continuing in each believer. It’s not adding rooms to a physical structure, but adding room and capacity for the Spirit of God and the fruit he produces in the hearts of people.
What is parallel, is that this work will continue until the day we die or see Jesus face to face at his second coming.
So what is he building in you?
He’s building a deeper love for his grace.
2 Peter 3:18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.
He’s building the fruit of the Spirit to produce a harvest of blessing for the kingdom.
2 Peter 1:5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He’s building a stronger hope through challenge and hardship.
Romans 5:3-4 Not only so, but we[b] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.
At times we wish God were done building in us. But there is also a comfort to know that God cares enough about you today to work in you today, to work on you today, to develop you for the good work he has you doing or planning for you today. Remember today you are God’s workmanship and he is working in you, on you and through you.
And he will continue until you are in the perfection of heaven!
Apply: How are you seeing/sensing God working on you today? Is there an aspect of faith? Character? Habits? Mindset? Etc. that he is molding and working on you?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for not giving up on me, but continuing to work on me! AMEN
Philippians 1:3-5: Gratitude for Gospel Partners
Today’s devotion is based on Philippians 1:1-11: Joy in the Journey: Week 1 (WATCH HERE)
Philippians 1:3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,
People matter.
Paul wanted the people in Philippi to know they mattered.
Paul wanted the people in Philippi to know he was grateful for them.
Paul wanted the people in Philippi to know he treasured their partnership in the Gospel.
Acts 16 records the initial interactions of Paul and the city of Philippi. His first contact was Lydia, a seller of purple cloth. She became the host for the new church in Philippi. She opened her home for Paul and all the other new Christians that would believe in Jesus as their Savior.
Acts 16:13-16 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. 14 One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. 15 When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.
The brutality of the magistrates in Philippi was countered by the kindness of the jailor who watched over Paul and Silas. When the witness of Paul touched the heart of the jailor, his whole family became part of the Gospel team through baptism, initially expressing their love with a meal and treating of the flogging wounds.
Acts 16:33 At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized. 34 The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole family.
I’m sure there were more. More women engaged in business, or the busyness of caring for their families and home. More men from government or commerce that came to a conviction of heart that Jesus was their Savior. It was a faith that was sparked and fanned by the Holy Spirit to not just believe, but to serve for the advancement of the Gospel.
Paul was imprisoned in Rome…but the Gospel was working in Philippi.
Why?
Because of the partnership Paul shared with Gospel ministers in Philippi.
Whether you are part of the Crosspoint family or engaged in another part of the country or the world. I thank God that he has brought you to faith and led you to live out that faith. This partnership isn’t one that we sign up for or get a contract for, but rather one that happens when the Gospel goes to work in your heart.
Perhaps the greatest realization is that God himself has invited you to partner with HIM in the Gospel ministry. It doesn’t matter your background…family…business…politics…country of origin…the power of the Gospel unites us in a common cause: To advance the Gospel.
I thank God for each of you and the way God is and will use you to bring Jesus to your family, community, workplace, school, and your world of influence.
Paul had a smile on his face as he wrote this…he was filled with joy for the gift of Gospel partners.
So am I.
I pray you are too!
Apply: Ask yourself: Who are the people who have helped shape my faith? A mentor, a friend, a pastor, a praying parent? Take time to thank God for them, and maybe even send a message or write a note expressing that gratitude.
Prayer: Lord Jesus thank you for your Gospel partners who brought me the word of truth. Use me as a partner in your Gospel work to bring that message of grace to others. AMEN