Not About Me: From Prison with Joy series - Tim Knipp (Phil. 1:19-26)

Facing a fearful future event,
or suffering,
or loss,
can overwhelm,
shake foundations
and crumble
flimsy faith.
I trust my God -
like Job, who knew
his God
would vindicate him
on the final day.
I will not hang my head in shame
before Him.
What happens, happens
and it will happen
for God's great purpose.
My life, my death
is not the issue -
but how my life
or my death
can further God's truth.
See I live for Him,
and when I die,
I will be with Him:
win-win!

I live not
for personal fulfillment
or (American) dreams
of success -
but for God's good pleasure.
So suffering and death,
rather than obstructions
or rips 
in the tapestry
of happiness,
have meaning
and purpose 
in a plan that
encompasses
a thousand universes.

Life is Christ.
Death, a door 
to my inheritance.
Its not about me.

Joy, unpursued
perches
on my shoulder
and sings to me,
night and day
as I release
my grip
on self.

Be real
and ask for prayer
when in need.
Open your hands
to receive God's spirit
that alone
can lift you
above the struggle.

To live is Christ.
To die,
gain.

Free in Chains, Philippians - From Prison with Joy (Christian Lindbeck)

Restricted access -
chained to a wall -
I am free
and joyful!
God's great plan 
is in motion
because of my imprisonment -
can you not see it?
The weight of 
deprivation,
like a fulcrum,
raises God's Name 
even higher - 
isn't that great?
Without even trying,
I have infiltrated
Rome's Special Forces
with the message of Christ.
And even against
an atmosphere of animosity
to our faith,
most Christians here
have crept out of hiding.
Even those against me
still speak the name 
of Christ to discredit me -
and all advertising is good 
advertising. 
I couldn't ask for more!

Faithfulness under duress,
like rich compost,
results in much fruit.

In the eye of the storm:
rehearse truth and envision
the big picture,
then put faithfulness into
practice -
doing reps to build up
the muscles of endurance.
Celebrate what follows.