December 5th Reflection by Bill Lynch

Philippians 1:3-11
Paul’s Prayer for the Philippians

 I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God’s grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, so that on the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.

Reflection
This is a picture of my wife, Sue and our two dogs, Sadie, the German Shepherd and Phoebe (when she was a puppy), the Chocolate Lab. Sue is a dog lover. Her love is returned exponentially by the dogs to her and those the dogs meet. It's a loyal love both ways. It's something like the love that overflows more and more as the dogs grow and age.

Paul looks forward to the day of Jesus' return in love with his fellow Christians. He looks forward in prayer for those who are partners with him in the faith. Paul knows that a change is taking place within himself and within those in the church.

As each day passes and we come closer and closer to Jesus return, we are changing. We are changing into what God would have us be. But it is a change that is surrounded by the love of God. We change as we proclaim the Gospel and we change as we wait. We not only change, we act out on the love that is surrounding us. We act out in love towards God and love towards one another. Our eyes are opened to the needs of others and we care about those needs. We care enough to act on them and live through those needs so that people can get it together and love God in return as they love another in addition.

It's a give away in one sense but also a continuation in another. A give away of love but a continuation in the sense that as people see the love of God they get on their feet and love others. Life grows instead of just receiving alone we are glad to respond to God's love and love one another.

All as we wait for Jesus to come! Thanks be to God!

Prayer
May your love overflow in this world as we live for you in love. Come, Lord Jesus, come... today... tomorrow... and forever. --- Amen