With the Heart of Jesus Christ

From his prison cell, Paul remembers the believers of the church at Philippi and prays for them with thanksgiving and joy. Ever since their church was founded through Lydia’s devotion, they had stood with him steadfastly, with their giving and their prayers, both when Paul himself was suffering and when the church in Jerusalem was in hardship.

Of this love Paul says that he longs for them with the heart of Jesus Christ. Just as Christ gave his life, they loved one another with a heart ready to give life, and this love sprang not from their circumstances but from hearts sincerely turned toward God.

When love abounds through the Word and the Holy Spirit, the wisdom to discern good from evil follows, and that wisdom establishes faith in its fullness until the day of Christ. Like Paul and the Philippian church, who served one another with unshaken faith, believers must bear the fruit of righteousness and live lives that bring glory to God.