Philippians 1:7-8 Amplified Bible
7 It is right for me to feel this way about you, because [you have me in your heart as] I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the good news [regarding salvation], all of you share in [His matchless] grace with me. 8 For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus [whose great love fills me].
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
As believers in Christ, we are all invaluable parts of His Body.
As Christians in this age of grace, we are all members of the Church of Christ.
As fellow-believers who have trusted in the finished work of Christ on the Cross, we are all partakers of God’s heavenly grace.
We who were once dead in our trespasses and sins and estranged from God by sin, have been forgiven of our sins and brought near to His throne of grace by through faith in Christ Jesus our personal Savior.
Reality: God has begun a good work in each of his children, for we are all being conformed into the image and likeness of Christ, and we will all one day stand together in His excellent presence in our risen, ascended, and glorified bodies.
How important, therefore, that we too should have a godly measure of His love within our heart towards all our brothers and sisters in Christ, no matter where we find ourselves, and irrespective of what our present situation happens to be.
Philippians 1:7-8 Christian Standard Bible
7 Indeed, it is right for me to think this way about all of you, because I have you in my heart,[a] and you are all partners with me in grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how deeply I miss all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
Commitment to each other is absolutely nonnegotiable in the Christian life.
We see this again and again in the life and writing of the apostle Paul.
As he wrote to the church in Philippi, he unhesitatingly wrote that he was unashamed of sharing with them just how he felt about them, because he was so appreciative of the fellowship he enjoyed with them.
Indeed, the word “partakers” in this verse actually comes from the Greek word koinonia, a word Paul frequently used to describe a sharing partnership.
Paul described the Philippian church as his “joy and crown” (Philippians 4:1).
His heart was filled with love for all the churches who were under his care, but he regarded these brothers and sisters in a special way.
They stood out, for they had stuck with Paul through thick and thin.
Separated as the Philippians were from Paul when he wrote to them while under arrest in Rome, they could quite possibly have been swept away by other lesser informed, lesser experienced teachers with far more impressive personalities, more striking characters, or more eloquent, glib use of their language skills.
But they, instead, took a stand for the Gospel, continued to stand with Paul.
Their depth of fellowship was strengthened by their constancy, which filled the apostle with joy and stimulated his outburst of affection.
The example of this early church is an interesting, quite a challenging call to contemporary Christianity, which, if we’re honest, often marked by fickleness.
Many Christians tend to be uncommitted when times are good and unreliable when times are bad.
We so easily treat the opportunities of fellowship, worship, and the hearing of God’s word with an arm’s-length approach.
If a teacher or a book appeals to our sense of need, scratches where we itch, or tickles our fancy, then we engage with them for a while—but if things go awry, or if we find our way of life challenged, or if being alongside another Christian becomes costly rather than easy, then the temptation for many of us is to head for new pastures where the harvest fields have already been, are being worked.
Paul shows us a better way—a more Christlike way.
We are called to choose commitment to one another through the ups and downs of life. The binding element between Paul and the Philippians is the exact same element which can bind our hearts – the Gospel of our Lord, Savior Jesus Christ.
In observing one another endure difficulties, in running to one another in the experience of loss, and in receiving from one another the enjoyment of real restoration, we will discover our hearts are actually being molded together in the bonds of the gospel.
Through such constancy, we will find God strengthening our fellowship and increasing our joy with other believers.
So, does commitment describe your attitude to those the Lord has placed in fellowship around you?
Do they know that you are there for them in the downs as well as the ups?
To whom could you write an encouragement, and for whom will you say a prayer, right now?
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Psalm 16 Christian Standard Bible
Psalm 16
Confidence in the Lord
A Miktam of David.
1 Protect me, God, for I take refuge in you.
2 I[a] said to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
I have nothing good besides you.”[b]
3 As for the holy people who are in the land,
they are the noble ones.
All my delight is in them.
4 The sorrows of those who take another god
for themselves will multiply;
I will not pour out their drink offerings of blood,
and I will not speak their names with my lips.
5 Lord, you are my portion[c]
and my cup of blessing;
you hold my future.
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me
in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
7 I will bless the Lord who counsels me—
even at night when my thoughts trouble me.[d]
8 I always let the Lord guide me.[e]
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
9 Therefore my heart is glad
and my whole being rejoices;
my body also rests securely.
10 For you will not abandon me to Sheol;
you will not allow your faithful one to see decay.
11 You reveal the path of life to me;
in your presence is abundant joy;
at your right hand are eternal pleasures.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 