Verse by Verse Devotional on Philippians by Pastor Jack #199

Dripping with Affection

4:1 Therefore, my beloved brethren whom I long to see, my joy and crown, in this way stand firm in the Lord, my beloved.

The first thing that stands out in this verse is how Paul’s words drip with affection. I would have said, "Stand firm!" Paul says, "My beloved brethren whom I long to see, my joy and crown, in this way stand firm in the Lord, my beloved." Here again Paul is a shining example of his own exhortations in Col.4:6 ("Let your speech be seasoned with salt.") and in Eph.4:15 ("Speak the truth in love.").

Every encounter we have with another person is a God-given opportunity to love. It is not enough just to state the facts. It is not enough just to get the business done. God wants us to do it in love. God wants us to decorate our speech with love. God wants His intense love for His people to be conveyed each time we have an opportunity to do so.

When is the last time you said, "I love you" to someone? When is the last time you called someone “beloved”? When’s the last time you called someone your joy or your crown or used like expressions of affection? This is God’s command to us. Remember that in doing all this Paul (under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit) says, "Join in following my example."

This is not just a matter of learning a new habit. It is a matter of receiving a new heart. The main reason people do not use loving language is because they don’t have loving hearts. We love ourselves but we don’t love others very much. We are still fueled to a great extent by our own flesh and not by the power of God’s Spirit.

O my Father, fill me to overflowing with Your great love. Push aside my obstacles; break down my barriers. Make me a fit channel for the bountiful flow of Your magnificent love for Your people. Use my tongue and my hands and my face to touch others with the healing love of Christ. May the glories of Your love not be hidden in me, but may they break through the dam of my pride and selfishness, streaming out to the restoration of lives in Christ Jesus.