Philippians 1:20-21 – I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Presenting the gospel well is something that we all deal with. Paul was no different. He too worried about whether he would be able to portray Christ as he should. In Romans we see him boldly proclaim, “I am not ashamed of the gospel,” but now he is showing us his concern to keep this statement a reality. Just like each one of us he also dealt with the fear of man.
In our minds it is easy to make the proclamation that we are not ashamed, but when you are in the situation it can be different. Sometimes when we are in the middle of life courage fails us and we remain silent. As we look at Paul’s example we see that it was his desire that Christ would always be magnified through his life. He wanted people to look at him and see Jesus, not Paul.
This should be our desire as well. Pray for courage; believe for it. Then when the situation presents itself you will be ready. Instead of faltering and failing you will stand boldly and proclaim the message of Christ through your life.
Whatever the situation or circumstance you find yourself in, believe that He will be magnified through you. When you get down to it, proclaiming the gospel becomes more than just speaking the right words. It is a lifestyle change. It’s like the quote from Francis of Assisi, “Preach the gospel at all times and when necessary use words.”
That is the reality of it. We must live as Jesus lived; walk as He walked. Everything we do needs to scream Jesus. Our life needs to be Christ and then when we die it will only be to our benefit, because we will be with Him.
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