Day 2321– Philippians-4 Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Welcome to Day 2321 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom Philippians-4 Between a Rock and a Hard Place – Daily Wisdom Putnam Church Message – 11/26/2023 Joy in Living – Between a Rock and a Hard Place Last week, we continued this month of Joy in Living as we dug into the letter of Philippians in a message titled What a Way to Live. We discovered that the secret to living well is the same as the secret to having joy: the centrality of Jesus Christ. Keeping Him as our top priority in life will give us great joy.   Today is our last message in the section of Philippians called Joy in Living, and it will focus on Dealing with Dilemmas as we see how Paul found himself “Between a Rock and a Hard Place.”   We are backing up to include one verse from last week to set the tone for today. Let’s read Philippians 1:20-30, on page 1826 in your Pew Bibles. 20 I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me. Live as Citizens of Heaven 27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit,[e] striving together as one for the faith of the gospel 28 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. 29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, 30 since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.   Have you ever waffled between two different—and reasonable—opinions, unable to decide which one to hold? Or have you thrown your hands up in frustration because you couldn’t land on a conclusive decision between two equally favorable options? Or have you driven your friends and family mad, seeking their advice about which course of action to take? Or wrung your hands over a decision, worried that you were about to make the wrong one? (funny story window/isle & regular/decaf).   For most of you, welcome to the club of difficulty when facing decisions or dilemmas. To one extent or another, we’ve all been there. And by “all,” I mean...