Philippians 1:1–11 (ESV)
Greeting
1 Paul and Timothy, servants
of Christ Jesus,
To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons:
2 Grace
to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thanksgiving and Prayer
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. 7 It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment
and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 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.
Paul continues the introduction of his Letter to the Philippians by expressing his prayer, appreciation, and yearning for these fellow believers. We who claim the Christian faith may see, by contrast, how far our thoughts, passions, and labors
miss the focus of the Christian life. Yet, God still welcomes our prayer. Confidence that God will complete the good work He has begun in us is still justified. Christ’s righteousness is abundantly available to us in His Word.
I pray: Dear Lord Jesus, fill our lives with the fruit of Your righteousness that we might abound in love, approve what is excellent, and be pure and blameless on the day of Your return. Amen.
Edward A. Engelbrecht, The Lutheran Study Bible
(St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2009), 2031.