Philippians: 14 Days of Hope and EncouragementSample

What began as a major inconvenience turned into a beautiful, eternally significant encounter.

I was a stay-at-home mom who often felt lonely and unseen. One afternoon, an acquaintance asked me to pick her daughter up from school. Soon, what I thought was a one-time occurrence turned into a regular commitment.

I grew frustrated and felt taken advantage of. I never paused to consider God’s hand in the situation. At least, Not initially. Those truths filled my mind a few months later, when my conversations with that teen turned spiritual. Each afternoon, she’d pepper me with questions about Jesus, then listened intently to my answers.

God had placed me in a position to be used by Him. To speak life and hope to someone whose world felt dark and hopeless. Our obedience—in the big and the small, the exciting and the mundane—leads to eternal impact.

Scripture reveals this again and again.

The apostle Paul, a first-century church planter who wrote much of the New Testament, is a great example. In his letter to the Christ-followers in Philippi, he referred to himself as a slave or bondservant of Jesus. (Philippians 1:1). That was how he lived–completely yielded to Christ. Paul began his missionary journey with one desire: to share the hope that changed his life. He didn’t really care where he went. He simply obeyed—immediately and without question.

We see this clearly in Acts 16:6-10. He set out in one direction, but when God redirected him, he and his team adjusted their plans. When the Spirit led or redirected him, Paul obeyed.

The result? He planted numerous churches, discipled countless believers, and wrote much of the New Testament.

Paul is an example not of a powerful man or one with a brilliant ministry strategy but rather an obedient heart. His obedience led to incredible eternal impact and life change.

~Jennifer Slattery

Author, Speaker, Host of the Faith Over Fear and Your Daily Bible Verse podcasts