Technicolor Joy: A Seven-Day Devotional by Skip HeitzigMfano

Earnest Expectation

Paul came to know radical joy after experiencing a fundamental change to his nature and understanding of his life's purpose. He tailored his expectations accordingly, shaping his witness based on the brilliant strokes of color God had injected into his black-and-white existence.

Paul had what he called an "earnest expectation" (Philippians 1:20). The Greek word for that phrase is apokaradokia, which means to watch with your head stretched out. The idea is to intently gaze at something coming at you from a distance, focusing on that one thing to the exclusion of everything else.

What was Paul focused on? He wanted to make sure he held a good Christian witness before the world, so that "Christ [would] be magnified in [his] body, whether by life or by death" (v. 20). He asked himself, "How will the unbelieving world be impacted by what I do and say as they view my life in prison?" How I wish more of us would ask questions like that. Too many of us look for loopholes in the Christian life instead of thinking, How can my present situation impact unbelievers for Christ?

Paul hoped "that in nothing I shall be ashamed" (v. 20). Shame often prevents us from doing the right thing, doesn't it? We know we should speak up or stand out, but we don't want to be embarrassed by what other people might think. Shame can make us spiritually impotent.

When I was a new believer, I worked at a gas station in Southern California. My supervisor was a bold, bristly unbeliever named Angus MacIntosh. I really wanted to tell him about Christ, but I was so scared to speak out—I didn't want to be humiliated.

Paul longed to witness "with all boldness, as always" (v. 20). Boldness here refers to freedom of speech and is the direct opposite of embarrassment or shame. The Amplified Bible puts it this way: "I will not disgrace myself nor be ashamed in anything, but that with courage and the utmost freedom of speech." Paul didn't want to chicken out like I did with Angus MacIntosh. He wanted to be bold in his situation, and he trusted the Holy Spirit to help him do that.

Our boldness in sharing the gospel message with the world is directly related to being filled with the Holy Spirit. If you need that boldness, pray for the Spirit to fill you, then wait on Him, trust in Him, and let Him direct your steps.

When I think of a bold witness, I think of Polycarp, an early church leader and father of the faith. When he was an old man, he was arrested by Rome and told to denounce Christ or face torture and death. But Polycarp refused, saying, "Eighty-six years I have served Him, and He has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?" Polycarp was burned at the stake—a faithful witness to the end.