Define Yearning

“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.  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.  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. For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.  And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment,  so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,  filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” Philippians 1:3-11

Yearn: to be filled with longing or desire; to feel tenderness or sympathy

Paul’s letter to the Philippians begins with such grace and gratitude that what he has to say could not help but be received in the loving joy with which it is written. He is compelled by Jesus and affection for this church. The Spirit has unified them in a gospel partnership and as mutual partakers of grace, so he holds them warmly and close in his heart. Because of that love, his divine compulsion is that they grow more and more Christlike, and be filled with the fruit of Christ’s righteousness. He yearns that their lives and ministry bring glory to their Savior and God.

As people of flesh, our hearts have great capacity for affection. We can use the word love loosely, connecting it to people and things and experiences. While a hard heart may not entertain a benevolent intimacy with many people, even the most rigid will attach itself to objects or beliefs that it holds dear.

In Christ, godly affection looks different from that of the world. When we’re transformed by the Spirit, our passions and the objects of our desires change. For what do we yearn as we begin our day? For what do we yearn with our children, careers, and future life trajectory? Do we seek things of this earth that are transient or subject to decay? Do we seek praise or esteem in the eyes of others we value more than the God we cannot see? Do we yearn for pleasures that are fleeting? What would change if we set our minds on things above where Christ is seated? (Colossians 3:1-2; 1 John 2:15)

Yearning for Christ and His formation in others affects our perception of difficulties and difficult people by redirecting our hearts. When we are bent on the divine progress of God’s will, we earnestly pray for others and can set aside persnickety complaints and chafing differences. We seek to build them up in Christ and grow together. How will we elevate our passions and align them more closely with the Lord’s heavenly purposes? How are we praying for and prodding on our siblings in Christ? (Ephesians 4:15-16; Philippians 1:12-18,21-25; Hebrews 10:24-25)

Lord on high, teach and transform my yearning to be for You and Your best good in Your people.