Prayer Shot Through with Love; Philippians

May the mumbling commence!

Christians, be thankful for one another.  Be thankful in prayer that is shot through with love for our heavenly Father and for all our siblings in Christ.  May our prayer for one another echo the prayer that Paul wrote in the beginning of his letter to the Philippians.  Read from Philippians chapter one (NJB):

I thank my God whenever I think of you, and every time I pray for you all, I always pray with joy for your partnership in the gospel from the very first day up to the present. 

I am quite confident that the One who began a good work in you will go on completing it until the Day of Jesus Christ comes.  It is only right that I should feel like this towards you all, because you have a place in my heart, since you have all shared together in the grace that has been mine, both my chains and my work defending and establishing the gospel. 

For God will testify for me how much I long for you all with the warm longing of Christ Jesus; it is my prayer that your love for one another may grow more and more with the knowledge and complete understanding that will help you to come to true discernment, so that you will be innocent and free of any trace of guilt when the Day of Christ comes, entirely filled with the fruits of uprightness through Jesus Christ, for the glory and praise of God. (Verses 3-11)

Are you in a constant prayer of thankfulness for your Christian brothers and sisters?  Paul was.  So should we be thankful in prayer for our Christian siblings.  There is joy in such prayer.  So, we’ve answered the how of prayer…

Now, what do we pray for – for them and for us?  Pray for sustained partnership in spreading the gospel message of Christ.  Pray for assurance that God will complete His creative work in us.  Pray for understanding of the grace that allows us to be involved in defending the gospel of Christ.

And pray for love to grow – love that is built upon knowing and understanding the call of Christ in our lives.  This communal discernment helps us to be as innocent and free of guilt before our Lord – because it helps us to take hold of the fruits of uprightness in Christ Jesus.  And all of this is done for the glory and praise of God.

That is prayer shot through with love and with the attitude of thankfulness and joy.

May it be so!

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out