Joni And Friends Daily Devotional 5 August 2024, Monday Message
TOPIC: Bolts and Bars
“Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.” Philippians 1:12-14
TODAY’S MESSAGE
I’m not like Paul; I’m not in prison—far from it! But I can identify with the bolts and bars of a prison cell. This wheelchair is made of a lot of metal, and in a way it’s confining. I suppose that’s why so many prisoners write me. My testimony has encouraged them, and they look at my bolts and bars and understand.
Even though I know nothing of the kind of imprisonment the apostle Paul went through, I do know I like his attitude. In the Scripture for today he basically says, “Okay, so I’m in chains? My bolts and bars help me spread the Good News. Every time they chain me to another guard, he gets an earful of the gospel. And my imprisonment helps others to become bold.”
I’ve read letters from prisoners who say the same thing. “Okay, so I’m behind bars? It’s a chance for me to draw closer to Christ.” I can say the same thing. “Okay, so I’m in a wheelchair? These bolts and bars give me a chance to spread the Good News to anyone who experiences confinement and limitations.”
What are your chains? Maybe you feel manacled to the kitchen sink. Maybe you feel chained to your desk, with just enough slack to reach the restroom and coffeemaker. Maybe you feel imprisoned in a difficult marriage. Goodness, we all can name the bolts and bars that confine us. Look at today’s verse again. Has what happened to you served to advance Christ’s gospel? It should. It’s the locale from which God wants to work.
PRAY: Help me today, Lord Jesus, to rejoice in the confinements of my life. Enable me to see my circumstances as boundaries you have erected to work within.
Joni Eareckson Tada is an American evangelical Christian author, radio host, artist, and founder of Joni and Friends, an organization “accelerating Christian ministry in the disability community”