- Paul is in prison unjustly (1:13)
- Some so called Christians are trying to add to his pain because they see his trial as an opportunity for their rise to more prominence (1:15-17)
- "Conflict" is the word to describe his present season of life (1:30)
- The cultural situation is morally broken and dark (2:15)
- Paul is physically suffering (2:17)
- One of his dearest friends has been near death and Paul helpless to do anything about it (2:27)
- A sort of "lobby group" has been following Paul around to do him harm (3:2)
- He is pained by those who consider themselves his enemies (3:18)
- Two of his dear friends are fighting one another (4:2)
- Paul had to endure scarcity of money and food (4:14)
Today:
1. God: God is able to lead His people and love them without making the hard stuff of this life go away. What does this mean for you about who God is?
2. People: People are not always at their best. Sometimes our difficulty is used by others to prop themselves up. Sometimes they misunderstand us and treat us wrongly. Sometimes we are tempted to do this to others. But in Christ, people can find the existence and strength of joy even amid real trial.
3. Life: Life is not always grand. Sometimes it is hard. The follower of Jesus is not naive about this.
4. Ourselves: Notice that Paul is transparent about these difficulties in his life. He does not pretend that life is all ocean breezes. Yet, he speaks of these real difficulties as if Jesus, and not these circumstances, will have the last word in his life. What trials would you list today? What list do you have that give you reason for disappointment? Lay these before Jesus today and ask Him for His joy and perspective.
Tomorrow, we begin to take a look at what Paul says joy is and how he can talk about it in the midst of real difficulty.
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