Thank you for reading the message this week. I hope that you are all doing well. I am doing much better. I also want to thank the Lord that the bad storms in my area didn't cause any damage where I live.
For the past couple of weeks now, we've been in a series where we are going to be going chapter by chapter and verse by verse through Paul's letter to the Philippians. In the message last week, I made the main focus Paul's words about the Lord bringing to completion the good work that He has begun in us in the Lord Jesus. We are becoming more and more like Jesus everyday until that day when we see Him face to face. The Lord will not abandon us along the way.
Today, we are moving on with the verses 7 through 11. In verse 7, Pau reiterates the fact that the people in Philippi have been very helpful to his mission of spreading the message of Jesus throughout the world as he knew it at that time. Even though Paul was in prison when he was writing this message, he was still preaching about Jesus. He was telling all those with whom he came in contact about the grace and mercy of the Lord. That is our mission as well.
In verse 8, Paul tells the Philippians that he cares for them in the same way that Jesus cares for them. In other words, Paul wanted what was best for the people. He wanted them to mature in the faith and grow closer to the Lord every single day. He wanted them to have the best life that it is possible to have this side of Heaven. And it is all so that we can do more and more for Jesus and make sure that others know about the joys that come from following Christ.
Beginning in verse 10, Paul tells the people what his desire is for them. He states, "I pray that your love will keep on growing, and and you will fully know and understand how to make the right choices. Then you will still be pure and innocent when Christ returns."
In I Corinthians 13, Paul told us that love is the greatest of all things. Love is what the Christian faith is all about. God is love. It is all about love. In order to be what the Lord Jesus wants us to be in this life, we have to be those who love.
Jesus told us about the primacy of love in at least three ways. First of all, Jesus said that we are to love the Lord with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength. He went on to tell us that we are to love our neighbors as ourselves. He then went on to give a new commandment that we are to love each other even as He has loved us. God is love, and those who live in love live in God.
We have to keep growing in love. To me that means first of all growing closer to Jesus. When His life fills us, we can then spread His love to others as it flows out of our inner being.
Love manifests itself in doing what is right. We live out love when we choose to do what is right. What is right is following the commandments and teachings of Jesus. Living in love is following the example of Jesus and doing what He did while He was in the world.
Another aspect of love is loving the things of God. That to me means living a life of holiness that is pleasing to God. It means that we flee the things of this world and its lusts. We cling to the things of the Lord. We do not lay up treasure on earth, but we seek to lay up treasure in Heaven. We do it all for the honor and the glory of the Lord.
Paul goes on to say that until the day that Jesus returns, we are to be busy doing what is good and bring glory and praise to God. We know that one day, Jesus will come in power and great glory. We do not know the day nor the hour of His appearing. We do know that we have been told to live in the expectation that the Lord could come at any moment. We should be doing what we have been told to do by the Lord when He comes.
Until the day that Jesus comes or we go home to be with the Lord, we should do good deeds and do all that we can to make this world a better place. We need to tell others about Jesus. We need to spread hope and be peacemakers. We need to do all that we can to help the least of those who are among us.
Let us all live in love. Let us love God and love others. Let us show our love not in just in words, but in deeds as well. Amen.
Prayer Requests
Please keep praying that I will continue to improve in all aspects of my health. Also, please pray that the owner of the dog that attacked me will do the right thing and pay for my medical bills. Pray as well that the storms predicted for this weekend will not be bad.
Pray that the leaders of my nation will stop taking from the poor in order to give more to those who are rich.
Keep praying for peace. Ukraine, Gaza, Israel, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, South Sudan, Chad and Congo all need our prayers for peace. Pray that aid will reach Gaza. Pray that the hostages will be released.
Let us pray for those affected by the tornadoes here in the US. Pray that they will get the aid and the help that they need. Our government has stopped helping many people, so individuals are going to have to pick up the slack as the Lord enables.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of Togo and Turkey. Pray that many will come to know about the love of Jesus.
Next week, we will continue with our current series. I will post the verses on Tuesday. May God bless you all..
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