Philippians 1:8-11 "For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ. (9) And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; (10) That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; (11) Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God."
Paul often uses the word, "bowels," in his writings. This word gives
the implication of the feeling expressed coming from the deepest part of the
seat of his emotions. Paul had a love for the saints at Philippi. He had shared
many experiences with them, some were good and some not so good. But through it
all, his love for them grew.
He expresses a desire for them that their love would continue to grow as they
increased in the knowledge and understanding of the Word of God. This is the
pattern that is set forth and is experienced by all who spend time reading
their Bibles. It is a beautiful thing to experience the growth that comes from
within as the Word of God comes alive within you. Being more familiar with the
Word enables us to become more efficient at seeing the hand of God all around
us. As we see the hand of God at work in our lives, the experience of His grace
becomes more precious. As that experience of grace in our lives grows, we can
find ourselves being more outreaching with love and mercy toward others.
How can we reach out toward others? We tend to reach into our pockets and give to charities in an attempt to reach out toward others. But the greatest gift and the most efficient outreach comes from much
deeper than our pockets. Paul expressed them as being "the fruits of
righteousness" which come from deep within us and are expressed as actions
of love. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, (23) Meekness, temperance: against
such there is no law." (Galatians 5:22-23) When we can reach out to others
with these expressions of love, a difference can be seen in them and in
ourselves. Pray that we can show these greater expressions of
love, joy, and peace. May we become more patient with others and treat them
with gentleness and kindness. May our faith and inner strength grow as we grow
in the knowledge and grace of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
How can one person make a difference in the world today? It seems the answer is
not as complicated as we might want to make it. We make a difference, one person
at a time.