We can learn more about love in Philippians. Let’s see what else Paul reveals about biblical love.
[A 5 min. discussion about biblical love for advent]
Philippians: Shine Like Stars – DAY 57
Family Discussions for Advent
*For a menu of all days, click here.
DAY 57/TUESDAY
Philippians 1:9
More about Love in Philippians
“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight…”
Philippians 1:9 (NIV)
*Click here to read the ESV, NLT, & NIrV.
We’re continuing to follow along with the weekly themes of Christmas Advent — hope, peace, joy, love, & Christ — in light of our Philippians focus verses this month.
May our families shine like stars as we hold firmly to the word of life this Christmas celebration season!
Advent: Love
What can we learn about the nature of biblical love from Paul’s letter to the Christians in Philippi? This is the question that will continue to guide our study & discussion.
On DAY 56, we saw that biblical love does not always make us or others feel good. Let’s see what else Paul reveals to us about love in this letter.
Some preach the gospel out of love
“It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel.”
Philippians 1:15-16 (NIV)
When Paul was in prison, there were actually some people who were preaching Christ just to spite Paul. Yet there were others who were preaching the Gospel out of their love for Paul, Christ, and the lost.
Let’s make sure we are those who are preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ out of love! As Paul wrote to the Corinthian Christians,
“Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God?
11And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
I Corinthians 6:9,11 (NIV)
Before we accepted Christ, we were counted among the lost as wrongdoers who would not inherit the kingdom of God. The thought that someone (or many “someones,” as is often the case) shared the Gospel with us should motivate us to share Jesus with all the lost people we can reach. True love causes us to share Jesus with others.
Love that comforts
“Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”
Philippians 2:1-4 (NIV)
True love comforts. While we spent most of the DAY 56 discussion looking at how love does not always make us feel good, there are times the love of Christ should make us feel good! When we are in need of comfort, God is the first One to Whom we should turn.
Paul uses the word “comfort” 13 times in the letter we know as II Corinthians. Here are 12 of them:
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 6If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. 7And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.”
II Corinthians 1:3-7 (NIV)
“For when we came into Macedonia, we had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn—conflicts on the outside, fears within. 6But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, 7and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him. He told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me, so that my joy was greater than ever.”
II Corinthians 7:5-7
This is how we broke it down on DAY 27:
- Our God, the One & Only, is the God of all comfort.
- He comforts us in all our troubles.
- We receive comfort from God so we can give comfort to others.
- Those who share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings also have comfort that abounds through Christ.
Sequence of suffering & comfort
- Believers suffer.
- God comforts them.
- They comfort other believers.
- The other believers are able to patiently endure suffering.
Those who share in the sufferings of Christ will also share in His comfort.
God loves us so much that He allows us to suffer. Remember, we can learn a lot from suffering — even Jesus learned from suffering! (Hebrews 5:8).
God loves us so much He doesn’t allow us to suffer without comfort. Not only that, but His comfort is also multiplied as those He comforts are then able to comfort others.
“But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us…”
II Corinthians 7:6 (NIV)
*For more about this, revisit DAY 27: Comfort from His Love.
Paul loves & longs for them
“Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!”
Philippians 4:1 (NIV)
Biblical love cares about the spiritual status of brothers- and sisters-in-Christ. Paul describes his fellow believers as a source of his joy and as his “crown” — they are part of his reward for obeying Christ’s command to preach the gospel. He wants them to “stand firm in the Lord.”
May we love each other this way! Genuinely care about how your brothers & sisters in the faith are doing spiritually — not just about their earthly concerns. If we love each other, we will hold each other accountable.
DAY 57/THURSDAY Prayer
Father God,
Thank You for Your Word.
Help us to love each other well! Teach us to love as the Bible defines love.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
DAY 57: We can learn more about biblical love from what Paul reveals in his letter to the Philippian believers.