As Paul the apostle
continued his letter to the Philippian church, we have seen his
compassion for them expressed by acknowledging their presence,
praying for them, pointing out their fellowship with one another, and
telling them that he knows God is able to complete the good work He
began in them. He added they were in his heart because they were
partakers of his grace, and in chapter one and verse eight of
Philippians Paul declares more evidence of his care where he wrote:
For God is my record,
how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.
The
verse begins, “For God is my record,...” As
though Paul could not call upon a higher witness he declared “For
God is my “record” which
means “one who avers or is able to aver what he or she had seen”.
In other words Paul declared that God not only saw what he is about
to say, He would declare it as true should He be called upon in
testimony.
The verse continues, “how
greatly I long after you all...” Paul
said God would declare “how greatly I long after you all”
which means “to desire, to pursue with love, or to long
after” someone. Paul's love for the church at Philippi was deep,
and he desired to be with them because of their wonderful spirit.
The
verse goes on to say, “...in the bowels of Jesus Christ.”
As though he needed to add to
his passion for this church, Paul employed the phrase “in
the bowels of Jesus Christ”.
Upon first glance we might think it strange to use the term
“bowels” in his description,
however it will help us to know the reason for its use. The “bowels”
were believed to be where the “deepest seat of emotions” were
expressed. We might say, “From deep within my heart” as an
example of our great care for someone. The “bowels”
might best be described by the way it feels when we “laugh so hard
our stomach hurts” or when someone passes away suddenly and we feel
the pain in our stomach area. Paul basically said he cared so much
for them that in the deepest seat of emotion for which Jesus Christ's
bowels could reach, that is how much he cared for them.
Do
we know people that we love so deeply that we would call upon God as
our witness to declare how much we long to be with them? Are there
people whom we care so much about that our stomachs ache because we
desire to be with them? Love originates from God, especially within
the church of Jesus Christ, and it develops through fellowship with
Him. As we grow in our love relationship with God, we grow in our
love for others. Perhaps as we think about these words of Paul we
should examine our “love life” and determine whether there is
anyone for whom we long so deeply that our “bowels”
are in pain as a result of it. May the Lord grant us Jesus Christ's
grace and love that we may long for and love others as He does
throughout the world.
Next
time we will see what Paul has to say about the Philippians love, so
read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want
to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on
the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ;
www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore
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