Text: “For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me; for God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:7 – 8, NASB).
Truth: Paul had a close affectionate relationship with the believers at Philippi.
Commentary: In verse three Paul said, “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you.” Here in verse seven he said that he has them in his heart. A person can come to the Bible and read and study it and gain knowledge. That is a good starting point, but we need to go further and through meditation and prayer we need to drive what we have read down into our heart where it becomes part of our life. The same is true with people. We can have knowledge of them in our minds, but not love them from the heart.
As I work with students in China, my relationship with them begins in the mind as I gather information about them, but as I spend more time with them the relationships deepens and the information in my mind is multiplied with a growing love for them in my heart. As Paul and these believers at Philippi worked together sharing the gospel, Paul’s relationship with them deepened to where he loved them from his heart.
Before Paul’s imprisonment they worked with him in the “defense and confirmation of the gospel” and in this way were partakers of grace with him. After Paul’s imprisonment they did not abandoned him. It did not matter to these Philippians whether Paul was free or confined, they continued their relationship with him and that was special to Paul.
What Paul felt in his heart was not simply human interest or attraction but a love that I believe goes back to his encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus. He was so overwhelmed by Christ’s love that his affection was now Paul’s and out of this affection he loved and praises those believers at Philippi.
As I think about what Paul said in verse eight, “how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus” as he was separated from them by imprisonment, it reminds me of how I feel when I leave those Chinese students that I have come to love and return to the states. It is with the affection of Christ Jesus that I long to be back with them, conducting English conversations with them about life.
Application: Are we spending enough time with our neighbor to drive the relationship with them from our mind down into our heart where we can love them with the affection of Jesus Christ?
· What evidence do you have that your relationship with Jesus Christ is from the heart and not your mind?
· In what ways does your life demonstrate that your love for others is from the heart and not just your mind?
Prayer: Father, your word tells us that we are to love our neighbor as our self and if our love for you is to develop it will grow out of a love for one another. Lord, in my humility and weakness, perfect your love in me so that I may love others as I should from the heart.
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