Daily Prayer ©2005

As many of us already know, Philippians is one of St. Paul’s epistles (or letters) written to the church in Philippi at a time when he was under house arrest in Rome. Similar to his other epistles, Paul writes this letter as encouragement for those who were believers in Philippi.

Paul writes this letter to the Philippians with joy and encouragement. The Philippians are one of Paul’s churches who have accepted the message that he spoke of and have actually put it into practice. Paul joyfully praises these Christians and encourages them to hold fast to their faith in Christ.

Even though Paul was writing specifically to the new Christians in Philippi, we too can be uplifted by his message. Paul continually urges us to follow Christ’s example of living a life of service to God and to one another.

We have the joy of knowing Christ as our personal Lord and Savior and, therefore, have the privilege of living a life for God in service to Him and to others. God’s grace is powerful! It is easy to see that it has caused Paul to be joyful. Paul writes " For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain" (1:21); "I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord" (3:8); "I can do everything through Him [that is, Christ] who gives me strength" (4:13). Paul realizes that the most important thing is the Gospel of Christ and is overjoyed to have received it.

Let us continue to share this joy with others through the partnership here in Southwest Oklahoma. There are so many people who need to hear about Christ and are missing out on the joy that the Gospel brings!