Philippians 2:27: Indeed He Was Ill, Near To Death

Philippians 2:27
[27] Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. (ESV)

Perhaps you are familiar with the quote from the movie Spiderman, "With great power comes great responsibility." I believe that with the Apostle Paul one could say about his life "With great spiritual influence comes great suffering." Like his Savior, Paul was well acquainted with grief. Epaphroditus, who was sent from Philippi to be a blessing to Paul became sick and nearly died. Paul recognizes that if Epaphroditus had died it would have been "sorrow upon sorrow."

I am thankful that the Lord knows what we are going through and he sovereignly chooses to give us more than we can handle, yet not more than he can help us to handle. We see in this verse Paul recognizing the mercy of God. If God had taken Epaphroditus home to heaven Paul would have survived. God was capable of providing for him. But God showed mercy to Paul.

We often struggle in this life. At times it seems to our earthly point of view to be needless and senseless. We know that for the life of the believer, however, that this is not the case. Every struggle, every pain, every sorrow is only allowed by the sovereign God who uses all things for our ultimate good and his ultimate glory.

You are likely struggling in some area today. I am as well. Together, we need to look to our Heavenly Father, acknowledging that he has a purpose for everything that we experience. The reality is, his mercy has kept us from certain troubles that we will never even realize until we are in his perfect presence.

Thank the Lord today for his mercy, even in the midst of struggle. Respond to your pain with praise. The Lord loves you and will work in your situation for his glory and your good, even if it does not feel good.

Comments

Romans 8:18: For I Consider That The Sufferings Of This Present Time Are Not Worth Comparing

Romans 8:18 [18] For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. (ESV) Perspective. What an important word. Let's be honest. We do not like the idea of suffering. We will do almost anything to avoid any kind of suffering. Some churches have gone so far as to preach against the idea of suffering, declaring it to not be a part of the true believer's life. Paul is not shy about the topic. Paul uses the sufferings of this present time as a means to consider the greater glory that awaits us. Perspective. Paul is not in any way attempting to diminish our suffering. A view toward eternity puts our suffering in a proper understanding. Yes, our suffering is terrible. In the grand scheme of eternity it is not even worth comparison. Maybe you are thinking that Paul does not know what he is talking about when it comes to suffering. In 2 Corinthians 11 Paul describes countless beatings, often near death,

Romans 11:24: For If You Were Cut From What Is By Nature A Wild Olive Tree, And Grafted, Contrary To Nature, Into A Cultivated Olive Tree . . .

Romans 11:24 [24] For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree. (ESV) We continue looking at the illustration of an olive tree. The root of the tree is the covenant relationship relationship of God with Abraham. Abraham's faith is what this spiritual tree is built on. The first branches would have been the faithful people of Israel, who like Abraham, placed their faith in God. They believed God, just like Abraham, and it was credited to them as righteousness. There were branches of the people of Israel who never placed their faith in God. Because these branches were not true followers of God they were broken off of the tree. Faith in God was the essential element that made the branches true branches of this spiritual tree. Some branches remained. Others, the faithless unbelievers, were removed. After Jesu

Romans 15:20-21: And Thus I Make It My Ambition To Preach The Gospel, Not Where Christ Has Already Been Named

Romans 15:20–21 [20] and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation, [21] but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.” (ESV) We need to be reminded continually that the message of the Gospel is intended to move all across the world. Jesus said that his followers were to preach the Gospel, starting in Jerusalem, and continue preaching the Gospel to the whole world. Christians have not always been good at delivering the Gospel message as far and as often as they should. In the first century church it took intense persecution to motivate the disciples in Jerusalem to bring the Gospel to Judea and Samaria. Once the disciples fled to new regions they shared the Gospel wherever they went. Would the disciples have preached the Gospel without the persecution? We may never know. Some probably would have stayed in their co

Search This Blog