Joyful Living Devotional - Day 4
Day 4 – Special Relationships
Philippians 1:7-8(NLT) So it is right that I should feel as I do about all of you, for you have a special place in my heart. You share with me the special favor of God, both in my imprisonment and in defending and confirming the truth of the Good News. 8 God knows how much I love you and long for you with the tender compassion of Christ Jesus.
The affection Paul had for the church in Philippi is clearly evident in the words he uses and the way he expresses himself toward them. We all know that people can cause great pain as well as great joy. The Lord calls us to love everyone, including our enemies. Jesus did not tell us to love only those who love us; He told us to have good in mind even for those who hate us.
He set the bar even higher. We are called to bless our enemies. Luke 6:27-28 (NLT) “But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. 28 Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.” Challenging words, and many of us are still struggling to practice what Jesus taught. However, Paul is not writing here about loving our enemies; he is describing the close, special relationship he has with the church at Philippi. There is great affection and a very special bond for Paul.
What is amazing about this special bond is that Paul and Silas did not have a great time when they first planted the church in Phillipi. After they cast out the spirit of divination from this slave girl, those who profited from her demonic gift caused a riot, and Paul and Silas were the targets. Acts 16:22-24(NLT) A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. 23 They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. 24 So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks.
Quadruple jeopardy, if you please; stripped naked to cause shame. Severely beaten to be degraded. Thrown into the inner dungeon, complete isolation. Clamped their feet in stocks, severe limitation. How is it possible to have such tender compassion for the church in Philippi, even though it was one of the toughest assignments for Paul, Silas, and Timothy? Paul’s words, inspired by the Holy Spirit, give us insight. “You share with me the special favor of God, both in my imprisonment and in defending and confirming the truth of the Good News.”
The church in Philippi was not just fellow believers; they were co-laborers with Paul, as he reminded them in verse 5 (because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now). The Philippians shared in the grace that Paul so diligently proclaimed. That grace works in all circumstances, whether we are limited, as Paul was, in prison for preaching that grace, or simply defending the Good News of Jesus. The Philippians were showing by their actions that they were with Paul in the good and the bad. So much so that they were the only church, even though young in faith, to provide financial support for Paul’s needs more than once. Philippians 4:15-16(NLT) As you know, you Philippians were the only ones who gave me financial help when I first brought you the Good News and then traveled on from Macedonia. No other church did this. 16 Even when I was in Thessalonica you sent help more than once.
Paul wanted them to know from the very beginning of this letter that they made an enormous difference and were a special group of people. His affection for them is deep and sincere, just as the love and compassion of Jesus are. We all need special people who love us as Jesus loves us and who are with us regardless of what we may face. We all want people like that in our lives. We all need them, but we need to ask ourselves whether we are people like that for others.
The affection and support we show others must be rooted in the love of Christ. Without His love, we cannot be or receive those special kinds of people.
These special people are not special because they have greater ability or availability; they simply are willing to love others as Jesus said to love them. The Philippians were grateful to receive the Gospel through Paul, and their gratitude turned into a constant commitment to his welfare. Their commitment was demonstrated by their constant acts of generosity and support for Paul. Not because they were coerced into doing it, but because love made them do it! How grateful are you for receiving the Good News of Jesus?
How willing are you to be that kind of special person to someone else?
“If we are to love our neighbors, before doing anything else, we must see our neighbors. With our imagination as well as our eyes, that is to say, like artists, we must see not just their faces but the life behind and within their faces. Here it is, love that is the frame we see them in.” - Frederick Buechner
Prayer:
Ask the Lord for the courage to reach out to someone in need.
Be willing to take a risk or even a perceived loss. God’s love through us to others does not depend on their response to us, but rather our obedience to reach out in love.
Who do you need to pray for? Pray for them, then reach out to them.
Pray this Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi (Prayer for Peace):
Pray: “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.”
Philippians 1:7-8(NLT) So it is right that I should feel as I do about all of you, for you have a special place in my heart. You share with me the special favor of God, both in my imprisonment and in defending and confirming the truth of the Good News. 8 God knows how much I love you and long for you with the tender compassion of Christ Jesus.
The affection Paul had for the church in Philippi is clearly evident in the words he uses and the way he expresses himself toward them. We all know that people can cause great pain as well as great joy. The Lord calls us to love everyone, including our enemies. Jesus did not tell us to love only those who love us; He told us to have good in mind even for those who hate us.
He set the bar even higher. We are called to bless our enemies. Luke 6:27-28 (NLT) “But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. 28 Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.” Challenging words, and many of us are still struggling to practice what Jesus taught. However, Paul is not writing here about loving our enemies; he is describing the close, special relationship he has with the church at Philippi. There is great affection and a very special bond for Paul.
What is amazing about this special bond is that Paul and Silas did not have a great time when they first planted the church in Phillipi. After they cast out the spirit of divination from this slave girl, those who profited from her demonic gift caused a riot, and Paul and Silas were the targets. Acts 16:22-24(NLT) A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. 23 They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. 24 So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks.
Quadruple jeopardy, if you please; stripped naked to cause shame. Severely beaten to be degraded. Thrown into the inner dungeon, complete isolation. Clamped their feet in stocks, severe limitation. How is it possible to have such tender compassion for the church in Philippi, even though it was one of the toughest assignments for Paul, Silas, and Timothy? Paul’s words, inspired by the Holy Spirit, give us insight. “You share with me the special favor of God, both in my imprisonment and in defending and confirming the truth of the Good News.”
The church in Philippi was not just fellow believers; they were co-laborers with Paul, as he reminded them in verse 5 (because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now). The Philippians shared in the grace that Paul so diligently proclaimed. That grace works in all circumstances, whether we are limited, as Paul was, in prison for preaching that grace, or simply defending the Good News of Jesus. The Philippians were showing by their actions that they were with Paul in the good and the bad. So much so that they were the only church, even though young in faith, to provide financial support for Paul’s needs more than once. Philippians 4:15-16(NLT) As you know, you Philippians were the only ones who gave me financial help when I first brought you the Good News and then traveled on from Macedonia. No other church did this. 16 Even when I was in Thessalonica you sent help more than once.
Paul wanted them to know from the very beginning of this letter that they made an enormous difference and were a special group of people. His affection for them is deep and sincere, just as the love and compassion of Jesus are. We all need special people who love us as Jesus loves us and who are with us regardless of what we may face. We all want people like that in our lives. We all need them, but we need to ask ourselves whether we are people like that for others.
The affection and support we show others must be rooted in the love of Christ. Without His love, we cannot be or receive those special kinds of people.
These special people are not special because they have greater ability or availability; they simply are willing to love others as Jesus said to love them. The Philippians were grateful to receive the Gospel through Paul, and their gratitude turned into a constant commitment to his welfare. Their commitment was demonstrated by their constant acts of generosity and support for Paul. Not because they were coerced into doing it, but because love made them do it! How grateful are you for receiving the Good News of Jesus?
How willing are you to be that kind of special person to someone else?
“If we are to love our neighbors, before doing anything else, we must see our neighbors. With our imagination as well as our eyes, that is to say, like artists, we must see not just their faces but the life behind and within their faces. Here it is, love that is the frame we see them in.” - Frederick Buechner
Prayer:
Ask the Lord for the courage to reach out to someone in need.
Be willing to take a risk or even a perceived loss. God’s love through us to others does not depend on their response to us, but rather our obedience to reach out in love.
Who do you need to pray for? Pray for them, then reach out to them.
Pray this Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi (Prayer for Peace):
Pray: “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.”
Posted in Joyful Living Devotional