It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
 
- Philippians 1:7-8
 
Paul has a deep affection for his friends in Philippi. He helped them take his first steps in faith. He was there when that church was born and played a key role. He nurtured them in the infancy of their engagement with the gospel.
 
This Sunday is Mothers’ Day. [hint, hint … don’t forget!!!] It’s appropriate for us to study this passage that’s so full of maternal language. Paul feels the way about his friends in Philippi that mothers often do for their children.
 
He carries them in his heart. Everywhere he goes, they’re in his heart. Whatever he’s doing, they’re in his heart. Everything he has in Jesus Christ, he wants them to share.
 
Who do you carry in your heart? Take some time today to pray for them:

• Thank God for placing them in your life
• Ask God to help them to know the depth of your affection for them
• Pray that they would experience a connection with God that can’t be shaken
• Celebrate the ways God’s been gracious to them