Welcome to Day 2319 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom Philippians-3 What a Way To Live! – Daily Wisdom Putnam Church Message – 11/19/2023 Joy in Living – What A Way To Live! Last week, we began walking through Philippians as we delved into Joy in Living, specifically, how we can be Confident Enough to be joyful for this Thanksgiving season and all year. This week, we will continue this month of Joy in Living as we dig into the letter in a message titled What a Way to Live. Let’s read Philippians 1:12-20, on page 1826 in your Pew Bibles. 12 Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters,[b] that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. 13 As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard[c] and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14 And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear. 15 It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16 The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. 18 But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.[d] 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. Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl observed, “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances.” If we pursue happiness instead of choosing joy, we’ll become, as Frankl put it, “plaything[s] of circumstance.” Our inner peace will be tossed back and forth according to the whim of events beyond our control. But if we choose our attitude—the one essential freedom that can’t be taken away from us—we can choose joy even amid the cruelest circumstances. I am convinced that joy does not come from without, but from within. A life of calm, peaceful satisfaction, a positive...
