Grace and Peace

Lately, I have been struggling. Struggling with goodbyes – the see you next in Heaven kind to the see you in a few years/I don’t know when kind – wrestling with understanding God’s Will for my intelligent, creative but academically challenged kids – and finally battling the discrepancy between what my spirit is willing and wants to do, but my body is unable to accomplish. I am still grappling with how to express those experiences into words here….

But in the meantime God has given me a gift of these words of encouragement through the Scriptures.

Our Bible study started the book of Philippians we talked about the first 11 verses of chapter 1. Over an hour on spent on essentially a greeting and opening prayer? Yes. It’s packed. Paul was great at that, his words have punch.

“1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,

To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:

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

3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. 8 God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.” – Philippians 1:1-11 (NIV)

At first, I was not really hearing anything. I was feeling sick and tired. I was anxious and sad. Yet, God met me. He used my friends, both old and new, in the study to speak words of encouragement and conviction.

Here’s a bit of what was given to me to ponder and move forward with.

“1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus…”

The letter came from both Paul and Timothy, elder and younger together. Paul had already expressed his confidence in Timothy, continues to endorse him here as co-authoring, and would go on to further 

encourage him  (“12 Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.” – 1 Timothy 4:12 (NIV)) New blood and old hands in the mission field and in Christianity, we should work together – sharpen and encourage.

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

The comment was raised last night that very few people we knew spoke in this way to each other anymore; imparting blessings in every day speech. But what if we did? What would fruit? The examples we had in our lives, those who speak blessing on mundane ‘see you later’ partings, those who say ‘Lets pray about that right now’ – rather than the oft-empty platitude of ‘I’ll be praying for you’, were poignant.

When worship – and praying and speaking blessings over others is worship – becomes ritualistic, routine, and mindless – it loses impact, and we forget the most important part, its transforming power; its power to aid us and those around us in becoming more like Christ.

3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

We say it in newsletters, in e-mails, in thank you cards and we meant it. Paul and Timothy had their partners in their pioneering mission work, and we have ours so many generations later.

The role of the faithful who were established in one place to gather support and prayers were clearly an integral part of the burgeoning work in the early Church. That role has not diminished. For us, it is not empty sentiment to say “thank you” no matter how many times we say it. We could not be here without our partners.

Those who financially support the mission as well as those who pray for us (and as it was brought up last night – those we are surrounded with in our community here), hold us up, keep our feet moving forward in faith, directing our eyes to stay fixed on God.

As it was pointed out in our study, it is meant as a two way street. We get prayed for, but we should be praying to. As the verses continue…

7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. 8 God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.”

Like Paul, I carry our partners in my heart, and whatever my circumstances I should be praying for each one of them, not just when we hear of a need, just as they pray for us. In doing so, the pain of separation lessens, the worries about my kids lessens, the physical trials of my broken world body diminishes. And God is glorified through me. The “good work” begun in all of us continues to refine “…until the day of Christ…” It is a complex process, on one side of things we are lifted up and become stronger. On the other side, we become less so that He is that is in us is more manifest through the bright spots of us following in those footsteps set before us.

Let us pray continually that all – especially those individuals brought to our minds – including those on our minds because of a conflict with them – that their“…love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that [they] may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.”

Please pray with me that I don’t hinder the process in my own life and that I continue to seek God’s guidance in this crucial area of growth.

In closing, grace and peace be with you today as you go forth into the future.