I can use a little more courage in 2016–can you? Define this year with a commitment to praying for courageous faithfulness.

…for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. (Philippians 1:19-20 ESV)

I want all of us to define 2016 with words and actions which stand unashamed and unabashedly courageous.

To define 2016 with unashamed courage we will need to seek the answers for two questions presented by our scripture today. The first question we must answer today is: What is “this” that Paul is referring to? Secondly, why does “this” require unashamed courage?

For the Apostle Paul, “this” is his imprisonment. He is in jail and awaiting trial for supposed “crimes” against the empire. The accusation being that Paul is preaching Jesus’ good news. Talking about the birth, life, death and resurrection of your Lord and Saviour some how became a crime against the empire in the first century if and only if you upset the status quo.

Paul disturbed that status quo for people adhering to a broken system of sacrifice and ritual. Our lives, if we faithfully follow Christ, disturbs the status quo, we will be accused of changing the world and may find ourselves imprisoned and pigeonholed into a no-win situation.

So “this” which Paul speaks of, that “this”we feel because of our commitment to be a Christ follower in the 21st century, requires unashamed courage so that Christ’s grace and glory shine forth despite where we may be.

Paul knows that everything else in life falls short of the love of God and nothing could ever shame us away from receiving God’s love. In 2016, we must remember our Savior having unashamed courage in dying for us on the cross, and so we too, should have unashamed courage living our lives worthy of the seal pressed upon us with our salvation.