We are reflecting on Paul’s prayer in 1 Thess. 1:2-3: “We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” Yesterday, we talked about the importance of starting our intercessory prayer with thanksgiving and the three main virtues of faith, love, and hope. Today, we will reflect on the value of the work of faith.
Read MoreWe have another prayer of Paul’s in 1 Thess. 1:2-3: “We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”This is another prayer of thanksgiving Paul gives regarding the church he is writing to. Thanksgiving was the way Paul usually opened his letter after identifying himself and greeting the recipients. This is a good thing to remember, isn’t it? A good practice for our intercessory prayers (that is, the petitions we lift to God for others) is to open with thanksgiving to God for the ones we are praying.
Read MoreToday, let’s reflect on Paul’s prayer in Col. 1:3-5a: “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven....” This is a prayer of thanksgiving. In it, Paul gives thanks to God for the Colossians’ faith in Jesus Christ and love for all the saints. What is unique about this prayer is Paul’s relationship with them. Paul did not plant the church at Colossae. So, he says, “we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus....” He had never seen them or interacted with them in person; he only heard about them. Yet, we are impressed by his love and affection for them.
Read MoreWe are considering is Phil. 4:6-7: “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Yesterday, we talked about how important it is for us to accompany our prayer with thanksgiving. Today, let’s talk about God’s promise of peace for those who pray. We are told that the peace, which God promises, is “the peace of God.” What is this? Grammatically, it can be the peace that God has in Himself as “the God of peace” (v. 9), or a feeling of peace that God creates in us. Even if it is the latter, it is supernatural in character—“which surpasses all understanding....” It is the kind of peace that you can have even when, by all human accounts, peace is the last thing you should feel. Christians all throughout history have testified to experiencing this peace amid a perilous situation or at the face of impending doom, or while going through a heartbreaking loss (of something precious or loved ones), or as they are called on to perform a challenging task with high stakes, etc. In fact, the more desperate and dangerous the situation, the more profound is their experience of the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding.
Read MoreLet’s continue with Phil. 4:6-7: “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Yesterday, we talked about the importance of making our requests known to God. Today, let’s focus on Paul’s instruction to make our requests known to God by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. Consider the way you pray for something. When you make supplication/entreaty, do you do it with thanksgiving? Why do we need to make our supplication with thanksgiving?
Read MoreLet’s continue with Phil. 4:6-7: “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” We talked about the seriousness of anxiety as a symptom of our idolatrous attachment to the things of this world and our sense of control. We saw that prayer is a perfect antidote to our anxiety. How, then, should we pray? We are told to make our requests known to God by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving.
Read MoreToday, we will continue with Phil. 4:6-7: “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Paul tells the Philippians not to be anxious but to pray. Prayer is the antidote to anxiety. Why do we feel anxious? I recognize that anxiety can be caused by a chemical imbalance, which may require medical attention. Here, I’m not speaking of “clinical” anxiety but the general feeling of fear all of us feel when the future seems uncertain or perilous. It seems all too natural. Who of us has not felt anxious about something?
Read MoreToday, we will reflect on Phil. 4:6-7: “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” What are you anxious about these days? It is helpful to remember what kind of situation Paul was in when he wrote these words. He was in prison, awaiting a trial, which could lead to his execution. And he was writing to the Philippian Christians, who lived in a city, whose citizens beat Paul and threw him into prison. He acknowledged that they were involved in the same “conflict” that he was in (1:30). He had to tell them not to be frightened by these opponents (1:28) precisely because they posed a threat. How could they not be anxious?
Read MoreHere is Paul’s account of his prayer for the Philippians: “...it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God” (Phil. 1:9-11). In this prayer, we see that Paul desires the Philippians’ love to abound more and more so that they might be “be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”
Read MoreLet’s continue our reflection on Paul’s prayer in Phil. 1:9-11: “...it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” Yesterday, we talked about the importance of praying for love, particularly for our love for others to abound more and more. Today, let’s talk about what love needs for it to be beneficial to others (as well as to ourselves in an altruistic way): knowledge and discernment. Love is a powerful force. When we love someone, we make great sacrifices willingly, without a moment’s hesitation. And we will consider it a privilege and joy rather than a burden. But love needs direction and guidance. It’s easy for us to think that, if someone really loves us, s/he will know what to do. To a certain degree, that is true. Love compels us to seek what is good for the person we love, not what we like or prefer. We try to put ourselves in our loved one’s shoes and try to see from his/her perspective. This will make us go a long way in loving another.
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