One of Jesus’ primary teaching while on earth was teaching us about loving others.  We are told to love our neighbors as ourselves.  We are challenged to love our enemies and pray for others when they wrong us.  We are asked to live at peace with everyone.  However we are given and even stronger command to love our fellow believers.  This is at Jesus’ very heart and its what He prays the most about in His high priestly prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane.  Paul also talks about the special love that he has for those who share in God’s grace.  Let’s take another look at this passage from Philippians 1. 

3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. 7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. 8 God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

As a parent it is one of the worst things when your children fight with one another and do not get along.  I often wonder if that is God’s experience is when He sees Christians fighting with one another.  Paul gives us this gentle reminder in his prayer of how much he loves his fellow followers of Jesus.  It is a reminder that we should feel the same love for one another. Instead of treating each other like fighting siblings we should be loving brothers and sisters looking to support one another. Today and every day seek to love those well who share with you in the grace of God. 

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave