“So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places.” – Philippians 1:13
When I was twelve years old, the doctor diagnosed me as having a severe case of scarlet fever. It meant that I would have to be quarantined for three weeks. My father had to build an extra wall so I would be in a separate little cubicle in the back of the house. Three weeks is a long time for an active boy to be still and alone. Only my mother was allowed to be near me and serve my needs.
Looking back, I try to recall what I did during that time, but about all I remember is that I memorized some nursery rhymes. I do remember that my first day out with the other children after my quarantine, my legs were so weak I fell down. It was not long, though, before I recovered enough to live a normal life.
Paul the Apostle was confined to a Roman prison, but he did not allow that in any way to impede his thrust of the Gospel message. He tells that his bonds in Christ were manifest in the entire palace, and all other places. While he was confined physically, his life and witness for Christ made a big difference. What a tremendous statement, but why should we be surprised? People were praying for Paul, and with a supply of the Spirit of Christ in his life, those who watched over him carried the message beyond the prison cell. Paul never felt that his world was as small as the cell he was confined to. When he exemplified the fruits of the Spirit in his life, he overwhelmed those around him until even those of Caesar’s household were converted to the Lord Jesus.
It may seem that our lives do not have a far reaching impact, or that we are limited by our circumstances to share the Gospel with others. Yet when we are filled with the Spirit of Christ, we never have to feel quarantined or confined. As the Temple of Solomon could not contain the God of Heaven, neither can the pressures of life nor the confinements of life contain the witness of a Christian. As we each serve God in the places where He has called us, we can rejoice to know that the testimony of Jesus Christ will reach “all other places.”