The Bond of Grace
“It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains, or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Jesus Christ." Philippians 1:7-8
I love Paul.
He is sold out to Christ, the priority of his life.
When I get to heaven, he is one of the first I want to talk to.
Of course, then we will all know what he knew all along—that
Christian love is the highest of all love and the bond that exist between
Christians exceeds anything else we know.
As you read Paul’s letter to the Philippians, you can literally feel his
love for them.
He carries his relationship with them in his heart so that wherever he
is, they are able to share in the body of Christ.
What a powerful thought!
What a wonderful truth!
As followers of Christ, we are never alone.
Not only is Christ with us, but so are our brothers and sisters in
Christ. Our
bond is strong and we feel their presence in our lives.
The more we love in Christ, the stronger our feelings for others.
He goes on to tell the Philippians that he prays their love continues
to grow in knowledge and in depth of insight.
When a group of people share a common experience, they never forget that
experience. I
recall how close I became to families that I shared a difficult experience
with, maybe the death of a loved one.
The closeness felt in those difficult moments last a lifetime and there
is always a very special bond.
Others I have shared a joyful experience. Every now and then I see a
football player I coached during a successful season.
Those good times are still a part of who we are.
The bonds between us are very strong.
As Christians we share something that surpasses anything else the world can
offer—something that creates a bond that can never be broken.
As Paul tells the Philippians, we share in God’s grace through Jesus
Christ. Jesus
died on a cross for each of us and what we feel for each other is more than
memories—what we share is the presence of Christ in our lives.
We share His unconditional love for us, and we love each other with His
love, a love the world can never match—a love a person can never give.
This love—it is a gift from God through Christ.
We love each other with the love of Christ.
It is a taste of heaven for I believe heaven will be filled with the
love of Christ, for Him and between the believers.
We go into the world to be His witnesses. But as Paul says, “Whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me.” No matter where we are, no matter what we do, we are one in Him. We live in each other’s heart because Christ lives there. All praise to Him for the earthly and eternal bond that makes us one in Him, now, at this very moment, and for all eternity.