A Devotional – SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES (35)


A Devotional – SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES (35) 

COMMENT: The Epistle to Philippi is a personal expression of thanksgiving by the apostle Paul to these saints for their help and support in meeting his needs. Chapter 4 and verse 16 Paul states, “For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities.” It is my plan to go through the epistle and highlight Paul’s spiritual mindset on praying; that would be to ‘pray without ceasing’ something that most of us fail at.

SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES: Prayer

As common with most of Paul’s letters he begins with, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the LORD Jesus Christ.” I do not believe that it is a stretch of the imagination to say that this is a prayerful expression to those he is writing to. In other words, Paul is communicating a prayerful countenance in his opening words and he continues through verse eleven.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 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.

It is not being ‘holier than thou’ to have this “Spiritual attitude” with those saints around us, I believe that a practice of this spiritual attitude in our own personal life is important. Note what the Apostle John states in his 1st epistle: 1 John 3:7 – “Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He (Jesus) is righteous.” Some may conclude that I have taken this verse out of context as the apostle John is writing about sin and the child of God and that Paul is giving thanks. Okay, but if I am not revealing a spiritual attitude with the children of God, what will be my attitude with those who do not believe the gospel?

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