May 2, 2021 · Philippians 1:3–6

Good News Prayer

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

“I pray that I will fall more deeply in love with God. And this isn't about doing things to gain the love of God. He's not praying, "Oh, I hope you are able to do enough so that you prove that you love God," or "that you'll do enough good things so that God will love you." No. It's actually about — he's praying that they will take the time and space to experience the love of God. It's not like, "Oh, I'm going to study and read the scripture more so I can learn facts about God's love, and then I know God's love." No. Obviously you spend time in the Word, but you don't spend time in the Word to just get facts about it. It's that you can experience — you can hear God's voice. You spend time in prayer because you can experience love. He wants us to create space, to open up space for God, so that we can experience, we can know that love. Experiencing the love of God is the most important thing that you can have in your life. Nothing more. We all know the basic human necessity is love. You can have all sorts of food and riches, and you can be in a house where everything's provided for you and given to you, and if that house has no love within it, those children, those parents, everyone is just damaged. Love is the most real thing in the universe, friends, because God is love. And he created us out of his love, and he died for you out of his love. The Father sent his Son because he loved you. The Son died on the cross because he loves you. The Spirit fills your heart because he loves you.”