Strength for the Christian life

Philippians chapter 2 verse 1

Let me draw you into the precious Christian blessings mentioned in this Bible verse . Different translations use differing words, but the blessing is the same.

“Consolation in Christ” -  to find the answers to life and eternity in the once crucified and now risen Lord Jesus Christ. The big questions of our standing before God, the small questions of serving  Him each day. The exhortations from the Lord makes life worthwhile and comes from the Lord at God’s right hand!

“Comfort of love”  -  Since God has loved us, we find the extreme loneliness and alienation as part of the fallen human race, has been overcome.  God loves us in spite of our unworthiness and this enables us to love others. These ‘bonds of love ‘ surpass liking people – rather love (agape) that loves when all else fails.

“Participation in the Spirit”   -  The wonder of God’s unmerited favour, that we can participate in the instruction by the Holy Spirit. And so much more – to be led by the Spirit, comforted by the Holy Spirit, gifted by the Holy Spirit, used as channels of blessing by the Holy Spirit. What a distinctive blessing to those walking with the Lord.

“Affection”   -  By contrast to the world which is given over to criticism, blame and dissent for those different . God’s people were originally honoured as people of affection. Practical affection for one another was a reflection of The Father’s affection for His children. Christians from very different backgrounds were named “brethren” – members in the family of God.

“Sympathy”   --   God is not a bystander or some distant critic when problems set in. He steps into the situation with care  to lift the fallen, to heal the battered, to console the broken hearted, to comfort the disappointed   -   and so should we.

Read Philippians 2   today and  discover these beautiful  things in the life of the Lord Jesus.

JRM

God's Love

God’s love is so much more than words spoken. 

It is a modern idea that we should say to each other ‘I love you’. The Bible concept of love is that it motivates one to do something, to give, to sacrifice, to work for the ultimate good of the person loved. God did not send the Lord Jesus into the world to tell us He loved us.  Rather He gave His Son to show us that He loved us. The coming of the Lord from heaven was not to make us feel good, it was rather to save us and make us good.

It is an interesting study to consider the occasions that the Lord Jesus talked about love.  He called upon the disciples to love God, to love one another , to love their enemies.

John’s Gospel highlights God’s love :- God’s love for the world, the Fathers love for the Son, Jesus love for His own disciples  and God’s love for those who obey Him.

Some say that Gods love is unconditional – this is an ambiguous and only half the truth. Love is much more than an emotion or feeling. It is a powerful motive that sets in motion action for the good of another. It works to achieve a mutual relationship of oneness in holiness. Love is the inner spring to mercy and grace. It is here, in the word ‘grace’ that  the blessings of God are given to the unworthy and undeserving. Grace is God’s love reaching out to us in spite of sin and rebellion. (Please note – God does not accept us as we are. He only accepts us because Christ died for us, and our faith in HIM gives us a new place in God’s family as ‘accepted in the Loved One’)

The apostle John develops the theme of love in his letters. God’s gracious love has been poured upon us, and that love should be abiding in us so that we love , not in word, but in deeds of mercy and grace.

The apostle Paul expounds the character and activity of God’s love. Love is kind, love is patient etc.  God’s love accounts for sin, and does something about it – Christ died for us.  Paul states more than any other writer , that the overflow of God’s love to us and in us by the Holy Spirit should flow out to others in mercy, forgiveness and grace.

I would encourage all my readers to use a concordance to study the many occurrences of the ‘love of God’ in the Bible.

If anyone would like me to back up my statements with Bible verses, I would be happy so to do :- email me at 

johnmckee@internode.on.net