July 05, 2015 | Pat Schultz
Passage: Philippians 1:1-18
The Love of Your Life
3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
1.) When Jesus is the love of your life, God goes to work – helping you grow.
9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
2.) When Jesus is the love of your life, God fills you with His love.
12 I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ.14 And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
3.) When Jesus is the love of your life, God gives you an irrepressibly attractive effect for Christ.
15 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will.16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.
4.) When Jesus is the love of your life, you acquire the pervading flavor of joy!
What happens when you become more Jesus-centered?
When Jesus is the love of your life?
When Jesus is more completely the delight of your soul?
You’ll have more mature love growing in your heart, more irrepressible joy coming out of our life, more Christ-glorifying influence in the world!