Expectations

Expectations

Bible: Philippians 1:12-21

Reading

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 (V.20).

Expectations! We all have them. We expect that people will be nice to us, that we’ll pass our exams, keep our friends forever, meet the perfect person and stay in love all our lives. But what do we do when life doesn’t live up to our expectations? In Philippians 1, Paul shows us the way. He faced the worst situations ever, but he remained surprisingly upbeat. Paul was stuck in prison—not a great place to be! When we get stuck in extra revision classes, family fights or bad situations with school bullies, we often want to give up. But Paul was incredibly positive. He said that his suffering helped to make Jesus known to more people (PHILIPPIANS 1:12). Maybe friends haven’t lived up to our expectations. Paul probably expected other Christians to stick up for him. Instead, some were actually pleased he was in jail. They shared the story of Jesus out of “envy and rivalry” because they compared themselves with him (V.15). Paul’s reaction? “Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice” (V.18). Maybe you feel stressed about the future—you’ve failed big exams or got health issues that won’t clear up. Paul knew that at any moment the Roman Emperor Nero might give the order for his execution, yet he said, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (V.21). Let’s take on Paul’s only expectation—for Jesus to be made known, no matter what!

EXPECT TO SHARE JESUS, AND YOU WILL.

Youth Edition – Our Daily Bread Ministries