Philippians 2:16 (ESV)
holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may
be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.
Casting Crowns has a song called Only Jesus. The chorus
and ending words of the song are, “I don’t want to leave a legacy. I don’t care
if they remember me. Only Jesus.” When Paul writes, “that . . . I may be proud
that I did not run in vain or labor in vain,” he is not speaking of leaving a
legacy. He is not concerned with being remembered. What he is concerned with is
that he did not pour out his life for no reason. There have been so many people
that have spoken into my life over the years, so many preachers that have
influenced my spiritual life. I don’t remember them all, but I am not the same
because of them. It doesn’t matter whether you remember me. It doesn’t matter
whether you even give me credit for something I said. What does matter is that
you are closer to God and deeper in your faith because of the time I spent with
you. That was Paul’s heart. What if we were less concerned with the legacy we
leave behind, and more concerned that people see Jesus more clearly because of
us? How might that change how we live? How might that change how we do
ministry? How might that change even what makes us angry?
The word translated “proud” is a word that refers to boasting
or glorying in. When the boasting is in self it is a negative thing, but when
the boasting is in what God has done or is doing in and through us, it is a
positive thing. Paul is not talking so much about being proud as we think of
pride. He is saying that the thing that would cause him to leap up and down for
joy is to see those to whom he has ministered walking in a manner worthy of the
gospel (Ph’p 1:27). Only Jesus. That is what makes his imprisonment worth it.
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