Thursday, December 3

 Philippians 1:3-8

  The Old Testament prophets aren’t the only ones ready for the coming of the Messiah. The apostle Paul is, too.   Paul knows that the Messiah, Jesus Christ, has already come once, and has inaugurated a good work in the lives of God’s people. Now Paul is waiting for that good work to come to completion—something that can only happen on “the day of Jesus Christ,” when Christ comes again.   What is this good work? The good work of the gospel: that in Jesus Christ, God is redeeming his people. God has claimed them, lifted them from the pit of sin and despair, and is shaping them into his likeness. But that likeness won’t be complete until the day of Jesus Christ.   And so Paul prays for the Philippians. He prays for them in joy. He prays for them in confidence.   What if we took a cue from Paul? What if we let the Advent season, with its anticipation of Christ’s coming, prompt us to pray for our sisters and brothers? What if we prayed that God, who has begun a good work in them, would bring it to completion?   Prayer: Faithful God, I remember your people and name them now. I pray that they, with unveiled faces, would see the glory of Christ as though reflected in a mirror, that they would be transformed into his image from one degree of glory to another (2 Corinthians 3:18). Draw them near to you as the day of Christ draws near to us.