“according to my eager expectation and hope that in nothing will I be ashamed, but to be outspoken in all things, now and always, that Christ would be magnified in my body — whether through life or through death.”

(Philippians 1:20)

Paul begins this verse with a fascinating word: ajpokaradoki/a (apokaradokia). We tend to translate the term as “eager expectation” when rendering it in English. Literally, the term means, “thoughts from the pinnacle). Perhaps the closest idea to that in the English vernacular is that we talk about “mountain top” experiences as being the best and most wonderful experiences of our lives. Well, imagine that Paul is talking about “mountaintop thoughts” as a parallel idea and you will find yourself getting very close to the meaning of this term. What makes this term particularly fascinating is that in ancient literature, it is only found within Christian writings…or perhaps I could present it this way, within Christianity alone can you find the basis for an eager expectancy, for a mountain-top thought.

Our thoughts are wonderful things. They transport us out of our circumstances and remind us that there are better things that await. Our thoughts, when grounded in the promises of God’s word, are often a corrective to our feelings and our fears…those things that often haunt us at night when no one else is around. And when we rest our thoughts in God and in his glory, we are able to face both life and death with boldness and confidence. As we read through this letter together, make a special note about how much emphasis Paul places upon his thinking and thoughts; in the world we live in, one that spends most of its time talking about feelings, you might be surprised at how often Paul focuses on thought and reason.

And thus, as he thinks expectantly toward the promise of Christ’s glory after death, Paul’s prayer and hope (understanding that hope, too, incorporates the idea of confident expectation) is that he will do nothing that would dishonor his Lord…even in suffering…so that Christ is magnified in his body at all times and in every way. Oh, how our world would be different were every Christian to embrace such a mindset in life. May it be that we all strive toward that end.