Philippians 1:19 “For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, 20 According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.”
In his service to our Lord, Paul was blessed to receive a steady “supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ”; that is, as austere as his life seemed, the Lord supplied him with courage of heart to endure, with the Gospel Words to Preach and Teach, and with natural provisions to sustain him in life. It was his “earnest expectation and … hope” that this steady “supply” and provision would continue as long as the Lord intended for him to serve in this life. He expected it, because our Lord is perfectly reliable and will not call His people into His service without equipping them for that service. It was his “hope” because he relied upon it, he acted upon it, and he depended upon it; that is, he went forward doing things in the Lord’s service that otherwise seemed improbable to succeed; things that simply could not have happened without the Lord’s “supply” and provision. He was confident “that in nothing” he would “be ashamed”; that is, he would not fail, because success was not dependent upon his wisdom, strength, and ability; success (victory) was the Lord’s; that is, he would succeed because the Lord was directing Him and was his constant “supply” and provision. Being absolutely confident of the Lord’s “supply” and provision, he attacked his duties “with all boldness” no matter what the adversaries did or said. His love for his Lord and for the Gospel and the Lord’s Church was such that he declared, “now also Christ shall be magnified in my body”; that is, no matter how badly they treat me, my Savior and His Cause is worth me enduring it; to preach it and teach it and spread it abroad so that others may also rejoice in it and worship Him in spirit and in truth. So, in the end, “Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death”; that is, whether I suffer in my life of service to my Lord, or my life is taken away in service to my Lord, the Cause of Christ will prosper and it will be clear for all to see that I expended myself until the end for the blessed joy of serving my Lord!