Philippians 1:9-10

I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return.

I’m sure that we are all members of lots of organisations, such as a car breakdown service, a political party, a sports club etc. If I asked you whether your relationship with those organisations was growing, you would probably think that was a very odd question. You would probably just think of yourself as a member. The idea of having a developing relationship with the organisations wouldn’t seem relevant. The problem is that many people look at the Church in exactly the same way. They are members of the Church but would never think of it as a relationship that needs to develop.

Throughout Paul’s writing, he sees his relationship with Christ as being something that is constantly developing and, in this letter, he describes particularly powerfully his desire that it should change more and more. Here, at the beginning of the letter, he describes his passionate desire that the Philippian Christians should move on in their faith. He wanted their relationship with Christ to become increasingly strong, because in that way their life together as a church would become more united and resilient.

Paul prays that the Philippians will overflow with love as they grow in knowledge and insight. In that way they will be able to make increasingly good decisions. It is right that we should pray for one another’s health and challenges, but we need to ensure that we also pray for one another to grow in our relationship with Christ. Standing still is never an option in any relationship. If we are not growing stronger in our faith, then we will be getting weaker and that makes us more vulnerable in every way. Let’s listen to Paul’s words and use them to inspire us to pray for one another with passion and commitment.

Question

What is your prayer today for two of the Christians you know best?

Prayer

Lord God, I pray that these two people will grow strongly in their Christian lives. Help me to be a support and encouragement to them. Amen