We start this week by reflecting 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.” This is a short but dense prayer with a lot of important concepts. But essentially, Paul prayed that the Philippians’ love might abound more and more. Notice how Paul did not pray that they would know and experience God’s love more and more. He prayed that prayer a lot in different letters and occasions. But not here. Here, Paul did not pray for God’s love to abound more and more to the Philippians; he prayed that their love would abound more and more—not so much for them to receive God’s love as to give their love to others more and more. Of course, the two are inseparably connected: we cannot abound in love toward others unless we enjoy the abounding love of God toward us first: “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19).
Read MoreThe prayer we are going to reflect on today is, “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now” (Phil. 1:3-5). The kind of relationship Paul had with the Philippians seems quite impressive, almost unreal. He thanks God in all his remembrance of them. He prays regularly for them and, in every prayer of his for them, he prays with joy. His remembrance of them brings joy to his heart because of their partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. Are there people like that in your life? You have some great people in your life but not like the Philippians that Paul describes, right?
Read MoreWe are continuing our reflection on Paul’s exhortation on and request for prayer in Eph. 6:18-20: “...praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.” After exhorting the Ephesians to keep alert and pray for all the saints, he asks them to pray for him: “...also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.” Paul told them to pray “with all prayer and supplication”—all kinds of prayers on all kinds of occasions for all kinds of things, as long as they did not forget that they were engaged in a spiritual battle. But for himself, he asked for only one thing—that God would help him to proclaim the mystery of the gospel boldly by giving him words to speak.
Read MoreLet’s continue our reflection on Paul’s exhortation and request for prayer in Eph. 6:18-20: “...praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.”
Read MoreWe are continuing our reflection on Paul’s exhortation on and request for prayer in Eph. 6:18-20: “...praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.” Yesterday, we talked about “praying at all times in the Spirit.” Paul goes on to say, “with all prayer and supplication.” About this phrase, Matthew Henry says, “We must pray with all prayer and supplication, with all kinds of prayer: public, private, and secret, social and solitary, solemn and sudden; with all the parts of prayer: confession of sin, petition for mercy, and thanksgivings for favours received.”
Read MoreToday, we will reflect on Paul’s exhortation to pray at the end of Ephesians: “...praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak” (Eph. 6:18-20). These words come on the heels of Paul’s exhortation to put on the full armor of God and the list of the particulars of the armor. The list ends with “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (v. 17). Paul follows this with a direction of what to do once we put on the armor of God—“praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.”
Read MoreToday, we conclude our reflection on Paul’s prayer in Eph. 3:14-19: “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” Paul’s prayer culminates with the petition, “that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” What a bold prayer! But what is he asking for?
Read MoreWe are continuing our reflection on Paul’s prayer in Eph. 3:14-19: “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
Read MoreWe are reflecting on Paul’s prayer in Eph. 3:14-19: “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” Yesterday, we talked about what riches of glory are available to us in Jesus Christ for the strengthening of our inner being. Today, we learn that the strengthening of our souls is “so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith....” You may find it strange that Paul was praying this prayer. He was writing to the Philippian Christians. That means Christ had already made His dwelling in their hearts already. Why did Paul have to pray that Christ would dwell in their hearts?
Read MoreWe are reflecting on Paul’s prayer in Eph. 3:14-19: “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
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