No matter where you are, shine bright.
That is why I am suffering here in prison. But I am not ashamed of it, for I know The One in whom I trust, and I am sure that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until the day of His return. 2 Timothy 1:12
Y’all, Paul was shining bright and encouraging others while in prison. WHILE IN PRISON! Almost every town Paul went to, Satan was throwing up roadblocks to stop Paul from sharing The Word. It’s almost like the thought was, “Paul’s coming to town. Get a jail cell ready. Oh, don’t forget the chains. He has a tendency to be freed from chains. And…beware of the possibility of an earthquake. It’s happened before to release Paul.” Friend, no matter what Satan may throw one’s way, Jesus is The Overcomer and has a plan for the gospel to get out…wherever that may be…wherever YOU may be.
I often say “Bloom where you are planted”. (Please see links below.) We can take that as “Shine bright wherever you are.”
Dear friends, we go through changes, experiences, and moves in our lives that we may not be particularly crazy about. Maybe it’s a change in school or job, or a circumstance within the home. Maybe it is a change in location. The change may be for a short season or a lifetime. But no matter where you are, if you are seeking God’s will for your life, just know that He has you right where you need to be. You are right where He needs you to be. It may not be where you want to be at that moment, but just as I’ve said many times, “This too shall pass”. The thing is, “this too shall pass” and we will all learn to appreciate the garden that God has placed us in for this time in our lives.
“Each of you should continue to live in whatever situation the Lord has placed you” 1 Corinthians 7:17a
I want to encourage you, and pray for you, that if you are in a workplace, school, town, relationship, etc. that is difficult at this time, stand firm in your faith. Continually open up God’s word and get spiritually fed so that you can shine bright for Christ wherever you are.
One of my favorite verses comes from Romans 5:1-5:
Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
We will have trials in life. Guaranteed! Yet, consider it a privilege, stand with confidence and joy in knowing that God is with you, and He will receive the glory in the end. Hard? Absolutely! But God…He is working in and through you. Have hope.
Blessings to you and yours,
Stephanie
Are you in need of some HOPE? | Soaking up the Son