How greatly I long after you.

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

- Phillipians chapter 1 verse 8(KJV)

As I opened the scriptures this morning to read and meditate upon a passage that had been on my heart, my eyes fell upon this verse, and I was [i]caught[/i] by it, so to speak.

What a thing this is. The apostle Paul is calling God as witness, in testimony to this fact: that he [b] greatly longed[/b] after his brothers and sisters in Christ. Not merely that he had some affection for them, or that he perhaps was wistfully? looking back upon them in some distant memory, and was now [i]missing them[/i] as we would say in our American venacular. But that he greatly longed for them - in the bowels of Jesus Christ.

This is no sentimental expression. It is the talk of deep love. It is the kind of thing that people who deeply love and care for one another would express. He says "I long for you", I greatly long for you". And not only long for you, as in, out of my own human capacity, but, I long for you in the bowels of Jesus Christ.

What is that? What is meant here by [i]bowels[/i]? It speaks to me of depths. It speak to me of hidden depths, it speaks to me of great and secret reservoirs. Of what is hidden in life.

I call to mind how the Lord Jesus said

"...If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water."

Is this our love? Does our love flow from the springs of life in God? Do we love each other with Christ's overflowing love? With a love that is willing to bury every offense, and every failing, and every sin, in love.

Overflowing love.

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

Here are two songs that I have appreciated this week:

[url=https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/singlefile.php?lid=14201&commentView=itemComments]Love -- John 15.1 by Scripture Songs[/url]

[url=https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/singlefile.php?lid=14197&commentView=itemComments]Love Your Enemies -- Luke 6.35,36,45 by Scripture Songs[/url]

God's love to you all

Brother, I have always marveled at Paul's writings to the churches, where he says at the beginning of the letters, [i]I thank my God always on your behalf,[/i]...[i]praying always for you,[/i]

I just went through all of them...

[b]TO ROMANS:[/b]

[i]8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ [b]for you all,[/b] that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.
9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing [b]I make mention of you [u]always[/u] in my prayers;[/b] [/i]

[b]TO CORINTHIANS:[/b]

[i]4 I thank my God [b]always[/b] on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; [/i]

[b]TO EPHESIANS:[/b]

[i]15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and [b]love unto all the saints,[/b]
16 [b]Cease not to give thanks for you,[/b] making mention of you in my prayers; [/i]

[b]TO PHILIPIANS:[/b]

[i]3 I thank my God [b]upon every[/b] remembrance of you,
4 [b][u]Always[/u][/b] in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,
5 For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; [/i]

[b]TO COLOSSIANS:[/b]

[i]3 We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, [b]praying [u]always[/u] for you[/b],
4 Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints, [/i]

[b]TO THESSALONIANS:[/b]

[i]2 We give thanks to God [b][u]always[/u][/b] for you all, making mention of you in our prayers;
3 Remembering [b]without ceasing[/b] your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father[/i]

[i]3 [b]We are bound to thank God [u]always[/u] for you,[/b] brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth;[/i]

[b]TO TIMOTHY:[/b]

[i]3 I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have [b][u]remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day;[/b][/u]
4 [b]Greatly desiring to see thee,[/b] being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy;
[/i]

[b]TO PHILEMON:[/b]

[i]4 I thank my God, making mention of thee [b][u]always[/u] in my prayers,[/b]
5 Hearing of thy love and faith, which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all saints; [/i]

Christ's love has been truly manifested through this man to the saints! What a marvelous thoughts to ponder, always, always...

After all, he said..

[i]yet not I, but [b]Christ[/b] liveth in me:
[/i]

I am reminded at this point of the article that sister Joy posted some time ago:

[url=https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=20095&forum=34]Tests of Love to God - Loving the saints[/url]

NLT

1Jn 3:14 If we love our Christian brothers and sisters, it proves that we have passed from death to eternal life. But a person who has no love is still dead.
1Jn 3:15 Anyone who hates another Christian is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don't have eternal life within them.
1Jn 3:16 We know what real love is because Christ gave up his life for us. And so we also ought to give up our lives for our Christian brothers and sisters.