The Lord Jesus always spoke the truth. He cared for His disciples and wanted them to enjoy God’s best for them.

In the Jewish religion of the day, many of the religious leaders had grown cold toward God and what He wanted. They lacked love for God and for people – and sadly, did not know God. Jesus described their problem like this in Matthew 15:8: “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.”

Their love for God had been replaced by a desire to please men and to have men think highly of them for their pretended piety. This same problem is found in professing Christianity today. What makes it worse is that being a hypocrite is contagious – since others are watching you and some may follow your example.

While none of us is perfect, if you act different in church on Sunday than you do the rest of the week – there is a problem. When you want to please God and know that He sees all you do 24/7 – you will seek to be the same seven days a week.

Acting different on Sunday than other days is what Jesus warned the Apostles about in our text verse – hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is just as much a sin as any other – and God hates all sin.

May God help us to be real Christians. God’s help and grace to enable you to live right is as available on Monday as it is on Sunday. He is faithful to uphold you and give you genuine victory if you will follow Him.

If you know that you are less than what God desires, ask for His forgiveness and put off any shade of it that you may be a genuine Christian. When He sees a heart that desires to please Him alone – He will bless: “thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly” (Matthew 6:6).

Sometimes it can be difficult to know how to pray for other believers. Yes, we pray for their needs and general health and protection, but there is so much more that they have need of – spiritual needs.

In the above verses, Paul the apostle mentions that when he prays for the Philippian Christians, that he makes four specific prayer requests for them. They are:

1. “that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment”

Paul prayed that their love for Christ and for fellow believers would continue to grow. He prayed that it would grow more through Bible knowledge and personal (relationship) knowledge of Christ, and that their love would be applied to their discernment (“judgment”).

2. “That ye may approve things that are excellent”

The approving that Paul wants them to develop is the result of the application of proper discernment. Once you determine what the best things are to do and act upon from Scripture, you choose to focus on the best things and leave off the spiritually unprofitable things.

3. “that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ”

The word “sincere” means genuine – the real thing. Choose to be a real Christian – the Bible kind – the New Testament kind – not the wishy-washy types so often found today. The phrase “without offense” means that we do not offend Christ with compromising lifestyles, actions, or habits. He will one day judge us – so let us please Him in all we do.

4. “Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.”

God wants every believer to be like His Son – Jesus Christ. Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit while on earth – and with God’s help – we should be also. All that Christ did, was done in righteousness and for God’s glory – not His own.

As you can see, praying these kinds of things for our fellow believers and pastors and missionaries will add a new dimension to your praying. Will you begin to add these things to your prayers as you bring those you pray for before God?