Philippians 1:7-8 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
After telling his Christian brothers and sisters in Galatia that he thanks God for them whenever he thinks of them and he prays for them with joy, Paul now goes on to say he has them in his heart whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel. The reason for his deep and abiding relationship with these people is stated clearly in Paul's next words: all of you share in God’s grace with me. All believers have experienced the feelings and ties of love we have for fellow Christians that often surpass the familial bonds we have for some of our blood relations. As Paul understands so well, it is the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ that binds believers together in love. We might have relatives we care about deeply and who care about us, but we have brothers and sisters in the Lord we know would gladly fast and pray for our needs, who would sit beside us until the end. Christians can trust fully in this love, for it is the love of Jesus and the love of the Father. Love for believers does not diminish our love for family, but we praise God for the love He has bestowed upon us for one another. When Jesus spoke to his followers, He said, As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. (John 15:9-14) Paul was an apostle of the Lord Jesus, and he walked in the Spirit, obeying the voice of the Spirit, who was speaking words of hope and life in his ear. This is why he would say as we read last week, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. (Philippians 1:4) He was experiencing the joy that comes when we walk in the light and love of the Lord.
In today's verses, Paul goes on to say, God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. He wants the church to know his love for them is based on more than mere human emotions of concern and devotion. He loves them with the love of the Lord: this means he would willingly give everything for them. They are part of him, his joy in life. When he is away from them, he prays for their spiritual well-being, and he longs to be with them again. He is proud of their growth in the Lord as a father is proud of his children when they choose right over wrong. Paul says to these lovers of Christ that he has them in his heart, not merely on his mind or in his memory. He does not only have fond memories of the believers in Philippi: he loves them dearly with the love of the Lord. This is a love relationship that stays alive in Paul because he keeps it alive through his warm, loving remembrance, his earnest prayers, and his desire to see them again. Paul truly expresses a love for others we would want to possess. John describes this love so well: How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:1-2) As a child of God, Paul is an example to the church and to the world of the love God has lavished upon the body of Christ, his church. Without a doubt, this love cannot be understood, cannot be replicated, outside the church, for this love is of God. Such love, such wondrous love, comes from the Father, through the Son, to the believers who call upon his name for salvation. We know Christ is the Rock of our salvation: Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12) Many people have expressed the great feeling of being loved and loving others when they experienced the joy of their salvation. Only the saving grace of God brings such love.
As we read these scriptures, our hearts well up with the joy of the Lord. We all remember times when we experienced the love of the Lord, times when we prayed for others with God's great love and mercy. What a privilege it is, regardless of our human situation, to experience the love and peace of the Lord. No matter what is going on in life, we can walk in the promises of the Lord, knowing He is with us and will sustain and help us. The writer of Hebrews gives us hope by saying, God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:5-6) Understanding the love of the Lord and his faithfulness to us gives us security to go forth in his name, doing what He has called us to do without fear or anxiety about what we might face in the process. Paul wanted the church to know God was at work in their lives and would finish the process of refining them. Paul also wanted the people to know how much he loved them and cared for them. He wanted them to know they were special and on his mind. This should prompt us to let others know they are of value to us, important to us. When was the last time you stopped to encourage a friend by telling that person, I am so thankful to the Lord that I have you in my heart. Could you tell a friend, I care for you with the affection of Christ Jesus? You might have to explain that was what Paul said to the Philippians, so you would not feel weird. You might have to change the wording a bit, but you get the idea. We should build others up in the love of the Lord. We need to be more intentional in sharing God's love and kindness. Remember what Paul said to the Romans about how we come to the Lord: Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance? (Romans 2:4) We must value what God values. He could judge us, but He does not. He could turn away from us, but He turns toward us with his grace. Every one of us has turned his or her own way, but God sent his Son to pay the price for our sins. His kindness leads us to repent. May we share such a love with those who need it.
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