“For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:8)
Wow! Can you imagine feeling that way about an entire group of people? That is how the apostle Paul felt when thinking about the Philippian church. He felt the affection of Christ Jesus toward these people. There was a longing in his heart to be one with them. Wow! What an amazing blessing to feel that way about a people. I know because God gave Vicki and I Christ’s affection for Christians in Pakistan. Now we pray that our readers receive this amazing spiritual blessing.
Caring enough to want to help introduces you to a reality that in some ways is so unlike your own. And then it becomes your own as your hearts become one. Feeling Christ’s affection is a spiritual thing. He’s reaching out to the poor of this world. Those despised are being loved, and the illiterate are hearing God’s word. The world is full of fields that are ripe unto harvest. Same old story, the laborers are few.
If someone asked our Father for this kind of blessing they would soon depart on a spiritual journey. Taking advantage of social media, they can be half a world away encouraging and being inspired by a brother or sister who loves Jesus. If you didn’t ask our Father for this kind of blessing, it could be that God is asking this of you. Wisdom comes with the affections of Christ, and it is a good thing that it does. Poverty produces desperation and with it temptation, and ministers can be self-serving. The Spirit will lead.
When God calls, or you ask Him, remember I said, “Wow”
“And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” (Philippians 1:9-11)
His Family Table 