Wouldn’t it be wonderful to hear “I have you in my heart” from someone you know, in fact, does? When I read the following passage from Paul written from prison to the Phillipian church, it absolutely inspires me to discover this kind of deep richness in my own relationships. Take a minute to read it out loud to yourself:
“I thank my God upon EVERY remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with JOY, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a GOOD work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace. For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the AFFECTION of Jesus Christ. And this I pray, that YOUR LOVE may ABOUND still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”
Philippians 1:3-11
Why does this passage inspire me so much regarding relationships?
Well, it demonstrates the absolute passionate love of Paul towards the people in the church who had been with him in his “chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.” They were a tight-knit band of brothers and sisters! Don’t you want to be part of this too? The Gospel gives us a great framework to both:
~Be encouraged BY others; and
~Be an encouragement TO others.
We need both.
The Gospel elevates friendships, creating a supernatural bond of undying love.
When we place ourselves in the fellowship of the church, we expose ourselves to an environment to develop encouraging relationships. It is a wonderful two-way street! We can both be encouraged AND be encouraging in our common bond in Christ. We can produce fruit together and feed each other as well as the lost and dying world. How lovely to share the “fruits of the Spirit” with those who are living in a common purpose.
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”
Galatians 5:22-23
Our strongest friendships are rooted in the strength of God.
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