"But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ; . . . so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." Philippians 1:12,13 & 20b, 21


Have you ever watched how someone handles an extremely stressful situation? I think one of the best ways to know a person's character and personality comes from watching them handle a situation completely out of their control.


As a police officer, I often had the opportunity to see many police officers in out-of-control situations. These situations would immediately strip away any "tough guy" pretenses. It exposed them for who and what they were beneath their facades. Some officers remained completey composed and, though visibly stressed, handled themselves well. Many officers, though, lost control. This would be displayed by yelling, being rude, challenging and sometimes through physical force (not to imply that physical force never necessary. It often was necessary). The point is that the officers displayed the kind of mental and physical preparation they had for such situations. Likewise, how we behave in stressful situations exposes us for what is in our hearts; how we have prepared mentally and spiritually during our non-stressful moments.

Where is your heart and mind? What do you look like in such a situation? What do you look like when you find out your boyfriend (or girlfriend) is stepping out on you? How about when the deadline is 30 minutes away and you have 3 more hours of work to do? What is your response to someone who attacks your pride? your work? your decisions? your beliefs?


The apostle Paul wrote the passage above from a Roman prison. He was chained to a Roman guard. His future was very uncertain and he was staring a death sentence in the face. Christians were not popular, especially outspoken ones; and Paul was especially outspoken! Paul's circumstances were out of his control. This was indeed a stressful situation; yet the Holy Spirit leads Paul to write this epistle to this church in Philippi. In this first chapter of Philippians, Paul makes it clear that he is praying for his beloved brothers and sisters in Christ and, as this passage states, he is also preaching and converting the guards to whom he is chained! Paul responds to stress and personal attacks not by lashing out, stressing out or bailing out; but by never changing what he claims his character to be. His character is not a facade or a pretense; and more importantly, it is not his own! It belongs to Jesus Christ. His character is secured in his eternity with Jesus Christ, and whether he lives or dies, his approach to life and others will not change. Paul prepared for this. He worked at his relationship with Christ much like an athlete would prepare for the contest of his life (1Cor. 9:27).


Are you so confident in your eternity that you do not sweat the small stuff? How about the big stuff? You see, God wants you to treat this world, and the things of this world, as what they are; opportunities to bring glory to God. And that kind of behavior will not come out at crunch time when you need it, unless it is something you practice daily. Living for Christ is a daily discipline, because we live in this fallen world where 99% of everything is trying to steer you away from righteous living.

So, whether in good circumstances or bad (even really bad) circumstances, our calling is to magnify Christ. Do you want to know your life's purpose? That's it! Magnify Christ in everything. Then we, like Paul, can also say with complete sincerity, "For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain!"

Sal Ippolito