A friend challenged me recently on whether I am more focused on my own fulfilment/happiness and getting my own needs met than I am on meeting the needs of others.
It’s one of those provocations that has rumbled around ever since, and cropped up again in my Bible reading today.
Verse 21 is very familiar to me, but if you’d asked, I’d have said that the question was just left hanging – an unsolvable dilemma which Paul ultimately left in the hands of God. I’d never taken in these next verses.
Paul came to the realisation that though death would be preferable to him, that wouldn’t best serve the needs of those in the Philippian church. He chose to go on living for their sakes – and didn’t do it begrudgingly, but with great joy.
It was his joy to surrender his own will and serve them. What a challenge!
Scripture snippets 
Did you read Bill’s blog recently about the conference he attended with missionaries serving in some of the most dangerous areas of the world? He said how willing they all were to serve or to die and one chap said at the end, I can only die once, so it may as well be for Christ. Not long after he and his 2 children were blown up in Kabul while their mum was out. Who can say what is right or wrong but it is totally sobering.
I know, totally.