Paul wrote these words from prison in what has been called his most personal letter in the New Testament. The church at Philippi functioned in a city dedicated to emperor worship, and so they experienced the same sort of threat to their existence experienced by Paul. In such circumstances, it’s even more striking that Paul’s prayer isn’t for safety or deliverance, but that the Philippians' love would grow. He called it the basis for the ability to “determine what is best,” as the New Revised Standard Version has it, or to “decide what really matters” as the Common English Bible translates it.

What really matters? Jesus said in John 13:35, “This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples, when you love each other.” He didn’t say we would be recognized by the translation of the Bible we use, or following the 10 Commandments, or adherence to a particular mode of baptism. The only mark Jesus gave for his followers was the same one named by Paul: love.

The letter to the Philippians explores all sorts of theological concepts, but everything ultimately comes down to this love, leading to the fruit of righteousness, “which comes from Jesus Christ.”

Followers of Jesus may differ on many things. It’s not that those things don’t matter at all—just that they don’t really matter, especially when they interfere with that which matters most. In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul wrote, “If I have the gift of prophecy and I know all the mysteries and everything else, and if I have such complete faith that I can move mountains but I don’t have love, I’m nothing…. As for knowledge, it will be brought to an end…. Now I know partially, but then I will know completely in the same way that I have been completely known. Now faith, hope, and love remain—these three things—and the greatest of these is love.” Yes, friends, we need to concern ourselves with proper doctrine, proper understanding of Scripture. But that’s not the most important thing for followers of Jesus.

Let’s pray for what Paul prayed for.

Dear Father, through your Holy Spirit guide us in opening our hearts in agape love. Open us to those with whom we might differ as we recognize our common need for the healing love of Jesus. Amen.

This devotional was written and read by Donn King.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.