A CHAIN REACTION

Philippians 1: 12-14

"And I want you to know this, dear brothers: everything that has happened to me here has been a great boost in getting out the Good News concerning Christ. For everyone here, including all the soldiers over at the barracks, knows that I am in chains simply because I am a Christian. And because of my imprisonment many of the Christians here seems to have lost their fear of chains! Somehow my patience has encouraged them and they have become more and more bold in telling others about Christ."
 
Wow.... that just about says it all as to how we should be acting and reacting to our daily situations. Paul was in prison, in chains and his faithfulness to the cross of Christ never wavered and he continually preached the good news no matter what his circumstance.
Paul caused a chain reaction. Other Christians who were imprisoned and in chains found courage and strength through the testimony of one mans freedom in chains.

We all have chains that bind us. We all have circumstances and situations that scare us and might cause us to want hide in fear, but you don't know who God may bring into your life that needs to see a Christian who is not afraid to live while chained to a circumstance. Your walk of faith can be a chain reaction to others who find encouragement through your faithful hardship.

Paul was only chained for as long as God would have him be chained for. We all know the story of God sending an angel to release Peter from prison chains. Its the same for you and I. You don't have to be Peter or Paul for God to show his magnitude in your life.  God is not blind to our circumstances. God is living in the real reality, not the one we tend to fall into. Its not reality to think that God is with us when all is good but then to tremor and fear when life takes a so called "bad turn".
God is God always.

God can and does work miracles in the lives of many people today, but if you don't receive what you think you should from God
maybe you should stop looking at your "reality" and focus on his. Your chains, your circumstances may be for the benefit of someone
in danger of losing hope, in danger of losing faith or in danger of backsliding or maybe even in danger of hell its self.
Somehow I think that if we could see reality as God sees it we might not really be as concerned about the here and now as much as we would be concerned about the soul of our neighbor.

God can use chains to free people.