Philippians: Abound More and More

This blog is about pages 144-145 in the book The Smart Guide to the Bible: Paul and the Prison Epistles.

In Philippians 1:9-11, Paul tells the Philippians what he was praying about when he prayed for them. He didn’t just tell them that they were in his prayers.

He prayed that their love would grow more and more. To abound in love is more than just saying “I love you” and having a feeling. It’s a love that wants the best for another person. Sometimes this is hard, but luckily we don’t have to do it alone. There are times when I say I love someone, and when I look closer I realize that it isn’t the love God wants me to have for them. He wants me to do what I can for them and put them before myself. He wants me to do what’s best for them instead of getting the good things I can get from them (although in good friendships, it’s all giving on both sides). This is something I’ve prayed for in my own life. I’ve noted bad attitudes towards people, including other Christians. I’ve been asking God to give me a love for them that could only come from Him. It’s made all the difference in some of the friendships I have.

Paul also prayed that the Philippians would stop and evaluate how they are going to act when faced with different situations. As Christians, we need to think about our actions and make sure that they are in God’s will and pleasing to Him. If they aren’t, we need to take a closer look and make those changes.

When we test and evaluate our actions, we will have sincerity or purity. We will be able to stand test and be found faultless, and every defilement will be filtered out. Because of what Jesus did on the cross, we are made pure. But when we think before we act and do things in the will of God, this makes us pure as well. There is forgiveness when we fail, but that doesn’t mean to keep living in our old way. Over time, God will guide our lives to help us to grow in purity.

Finally, Paul prayed that the Philippians would live in a way that makes it obvious that they are depending fully upon God. If God is living in us, we will exhibit His characteristics. In Galatians the fruit of the spirit is defined as: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Over time, we will develop this fruit and become more and more like God. And those that don’t believe will notice and desire the same thing we have in Christ.

We should not only pray for these things in our lives, but in the lives of our fellow Christians. When we tell someone we are praying for them, we should follow through and actually pray for them. Prayer is so important, and it does make a difference.