“I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ —for this will bring much glory and praise to God.” Philippians 1:9-11 NLT
A new year is a new opportunity to RE-focus on what really matters in life! It is a new chance to abandon all that has been distracting us from what really matters! In our relationship with one another, what really matters? In our spiritual struggle, what really matters? In our spiritual growth, prayers, fasting, reading the Bible, coming to church and taking communion...what really matters??
St. Paul is reminding us that LOVE REALLY MATTERS! Our love stems from God Himself who IS LOVE! He really matters! We are to have Him and His love overflow more and more! We are to keep on GROWING in KNOWING HIM and on understanding what really matters!
We are to focus on our SALVATION and living its fruit in our life! That fruit is “the righteous CHARACTER produced in [our] life by Jesus Christ.” So every relationship we have, every prayer we offer, every Bible reading we do, every visit to the church and every communion we take, MUST become FRUITFUL in our life by PRODUCING the fruit of salvation, that is a transformed character according to the LIKENESS of God and according to the Image of His Son Jesus Christ!
Simply put, what matters is our continuous transformation and change into LOVE, into the life we have in Jesus Christ! A “NEW YOU” in which your character is becoming righteous by Jesus Christ shining through you! Let your conduct reflect what really matters! LOVE!
