Philippians 4:1 "Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved."
It is very apparent that Paul loved these people. He wanted them to be
blessed to the highest as they lived each day. He also realized, through his
own experience, that there is only one way to achieve that height. When he
spoke of himself, he used the word "attain." He wrote in
chapter 3:12, " Not as though I had already attained, either were
already perfect: but I follow after..."
He was striving to arrive at the point of perfection, or maturity, in
Christ. He also realized there is only one way to come to the place of maturity
and that was to "stand fast (strong) in the Lord. He wrote to the
Ephesians along this same line, "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the
Lord, and in the power of his might." (Ephesians 6:10)
We all have times when we are not as strong in our spiritual walk as we want
to be. Standing strong in the Lord does not mean that we always do the
right thing or make the right choices. We all fall short on occasions. But
being strong in the Lord also provides grace for us to be able to get back up
when we fall. Being strong in the Lord means we understand He forgives us when
we turn back to Him. Being strong in the Lord means we are able to overcome
that weak moment and try again to live lives that are pleasing to Him.
Yes, Paul loved the Philippians and wanted the very best for them. He
commended them to the power of Jesus Christ to be more than conquerors in this
struggle, called life. Let us lean on Him for all that we need each day.