New Perspective!

Ok I'm not that good at this whole keeping up with my blog thing especially since I don't have internet at home.... But I wanted to do a post real quick about last night....


So, I'm doing this Philippians study right now that I meant to start this summer and never did. Anywho, after last night I felt so FULL from just Chapter 1! It's all about having JOY in the midst of your circumstances. Right now the focus is having a Right perspective on things.
This is what I've been learning:
Knowing and Understanding your purpose will change your perspective on your circumstances. If we know our purpose it will be reflected by our perspective on life.
As Christians our purpose is all the same to GLORIFY GOD in EVERYTHING... TO KNOW HIM AND MAKE HIM KNOWN!
If that's our purpose then our perspective on our problems changes because our purpose is not on ourselves or our own achievement but on Christ and WHO HE IS IN US!
Paul understood his purpose so dispite the hardships he faced: 1Corinthians chapter 11 tells us of just some of his trials:
"I have been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches."
Even as he writes what is known as the sweetest of all the letters to the Phillipian church he was sitting in a prison for preaching the gospel.
So where does he find his JOY? Through understanding his purpose! That's why he says in
1 Corinthians 9:26 "So I run with purpose in every step.."
Because He did this:
1.)He was able to view that jail sail as an opportunity rather than an opposition, (My favorite quote from this devotion was "Who knows if your next obstacle will be your next pulpit!")
2.)He was able to view the "competition" he faced as a "partnership." He realized the importance of fighting on side by side on the same team not against each other.
3.)Relationships to him were of UPMOST IMPORTANCE because he knew His purpose was to love God and love others!
4.) He even had a knew perspective on life and death... he said it's better to him to die than live but to live is CHRIST! He had a purpose set for eternity!

Let's allow God to change our perspective on things and find the Joy that He longs for us to all have!