A Letter in LockdownSample

PURPOSE IN PRISONS “I want you to know that everything that has happened to me here has helped spread the gospel.” Paul has been abused, beaten, and thrown in gaol. How on earth has this helped spread the gospel? And what’s more, he’s still locked down in gaol. Wherever we go in life, whether it’s school, a sporting match, or band practice, there will always be an opportunity to share the good news of Jesus. However we feel in life, whether joyful and upbeat or low, defeated and locked down (like Paul), God will always provide an opportunity for us to share the good news of Jesus. No prison can ever contain the good news of Jesus, and no chain can ever bind the God of good news. Paul models this perfectly for us. All these Roman guards who are anti-Jesus or have never heard of Jesus because of Paul’s arrest can now hear about Jesus (verse 13). Romans 8:28 teaches us that ‘God works all things together for good, for those that love him, those who are called according to his purpose.’ That’s Paul, and that’s you! Wherever we go, however we feel, God will use us in our circumstances to reach others because we all matter to God. Even in the depths of prison, God used Paul to get to others. Paul teaches us that persecution has a purpose. God didn’t send people to hurt Paul, but he used Paul to love those who were hurting him. Winston Churchill once said, “The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty, the pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity.” Your prisons are opportunities. You just need to open your eyes to them. What’s a difficult situation you’ve found yourself in? How could that situation have been an opportunity for you to share God’s love with another? Challenge: Share the love of Jesus with one person today. This may not be spoken; it could be an action. We proclaim God’s love and demonstrate it. Prayer: God, I thank you that you can still use me to share your good news even in my difficult circumstances. I ask today that my personal revelation of your good news will go deeper. Help to have a new perspective on the challenges I face.