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- Apr 25, 2006
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12 November 2007
Philippians 1 v 1-8
From Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus.
To all of God's holy people in Christ Jesus who live in Philippi, including your elders and deacons:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I thank my God every time I remember you, always praying with joy for all of you. I thank God for the help you gave me while I preached the Good News - help you gave from the first day you believed until now. God began doing a good work in you, and I am sure he will continue it until it is finished when Jesus Christ comes again.
And I know that I am right to think like this about all of you, because I have you in my heart. All of you share in God's grace with me while I am in prison and while I am defending and proving the truth of the Good News. God knows that I want to see you very much, because I love all of you with the love of Christ Jesus.
How can we be truly loved?
Paul really loves these guys - the Philippians. He thanks God whenever he thinks about them. He prays about them with a big smile on his face. He's inspired by their lives of worship and he speaks encouragement to them about the certainty of the future that God is preparing them for. He loves them and he loves God even more because of them!
How can Paul love them so much? Maybe he's just a really nice guy, or maybe the Philippian Christians are really lovable people - but I'm not convinced that this is all there is to it. The real reason Paul can love these people the way he does because they're family. They're united by God's grace to each of them. They have believed the same good news of Jesus dying on the cross for them and defeating death so they could be rescued from sin and set free to live lives of worship to God forever.
People love each other for all sorts of reasons and they show that love in lots of different ways, but the deepest and most permanent kind of love is the love that we see here - the love that comes from God and is shared in his family.
Are you part of this family of God? If so, spend some time thanking God today for the people who love you like Paul loved the Philippians and ask for God's help for you to love others in the same way. If not, why not spend some time hanging out with Christians to see what all the fuss is about?
Father, thank you that you have invited us into your family. Thank you that I can meet with you by meeting with others who love you. Thank you for those who love me. Please help me to enjoy being loved and to enjoy loving others the way you first loved us. Amen!
Written by Dave Pegg
Philippians 1 v 1-8
From Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus.
To all of God's holy people in Christ Jesus who live in Philippi, including your elders and deacons:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I thank my God every time I remember you, always praying with joy for all of you. I thank God for the help you gave me while I preached the Good News - help you gave from the first day you believed until now. God began doing a good work in you, and I am sure he will continue it until it is finished when Jesus Christ comes again.
And I know that I am right to think like this about all of you, because I have you in my heart. All of you share in God's grace with me while I am in prison and while I am defending and proving the truth of the Good News. God knows that I want to see you very much, because I love all of you with the love of Christ Jesus.
How can we be truly loved?
Paul really loves these guys - the Philippians. He thanks God whenever he thinks about them. He prays about them with a big smile on his face. He's inspired by their lives of worship and he speaks encouragement to them about the certainty of the future that God is preparing them for. He loves them and he loves God even more because of them!
How can Paul love them so much? Maybe he's just a really nice guy, or maybe the Philippian Christians are really lovable people - but I'm not convinced that this is all there is to it. The real reason Paul can love these people the way he does because they're family. They're united by God's grace to each of them. They have believed the same good news of Jesus dying on the cross for them and defeating death so they could be rescued from sin and set free to live lives of worship to God forever.
People love each other for all sorts of reasons and they show that love in lots of different ways, but the deepest and most permanent kind of love is the love that we see here - the love that comes from God and is shared in his family.
Are you part of this family of God? If so, spend some time thanking God today for the people who love you like Paul loved the Philippians and ask for God's help for you to love others in the same way. If not, why not spend some time hanging out with Christians to see what all the fuss is about?
Father, thank you that you have invited us into your family. Thank you that I can meet with you by meeting with others who love you. Thank you for those who love me. Please help me to enjoy being loved and to enjoy loving others the way you first loved us. Amen!
Written by Dave Pegg
