What to Pray For: The Philippians

To the Philippians, Paul wrote:

"Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,

"For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;

"Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

"Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.

"For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.

"And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;

"That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;

"Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God. " (Philippians 1: 4-11)

Paul prayed for the fellowship that we believers have in the gospel -- the grace which is given to us by faith in His Finished Work, in which we receive righteousness, peace, and joy through His Holy Spirit.

Sadly, in too many churches, the fullness of the Gospel is undermined or not fully expounded. In many churches, the fellowship which we all have in righteousness through Jesus' ever-cleansing blood (1 John 1: 7) has not received the proper attention, and thus men and women still strive through efforts and achievements what Jesus so freely gives.

"And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;"

Our love flows from our knowledge of God's love for us, which is based not on anything that we do, but everything that He has done through His Son, and that by His love we are all made children of God.

"That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;

"Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God. "

How do we "approve things that are excellent? By the greater revelation of our righteousness in Christ:

"For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.

"But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." (Hebrews 5: 13-14)

If we want to discern by the power of the Holy Spirit right from wrong, we must start from the solid, unshakable, eternal base of righteousness everlasting which we have in Christ Jesus. We even have the "fruits of righteousness" within us, a revelation which Paul confirms in his epistle to the Ephesians (Ephesians 2: 10)

Do not prayer for things, but rather pray with joyful thanksgiving for what He has given you through His Son, that he would grant you greater knowledge of all that  He is and has and does for you.