“And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith; That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.” (Philippians 1:25–26, KJV)
On occasion we can meet old acquaintances again. I have never been to a high school or college class reunion. The reason is that I guess I never built relationships with my classmates that were that meaningful. If I were to have a reunion, I think I would like to have it with some of my former church friends. I would especially want to reunite with those from the first church I joined after my salvation. The reason is that those first few years of my Christian life I grew closer to these people than I had with those at school. We were all basically the same age and we worked together with the Lord in the building that newly planted church. It was an exciting time.
Paul had fond memories of the church in Philippi. They were a joy to Paul as they partnered with him in the gospel ministry. Thus, he longed to be with them and serve with them in the work. Even though Paul had just stated that he was uncertain whether he would prefer to depart to be with the Lord or continue to serve Him on earth, here he seemed optimistic that he would again join the church at Philippi. The possibility of this brought a joy to his heart.
In our lives we have all met people with whom we have built special relationships. We all need this. These types of relationships are essential and God has created us as relational people for just such. Unfortunately, due to the times and culture in which we live we often lose contact with people. This is unfortunate. However, on occasion we reconnect. We should take some time to reconnect and rekindle the joy of Christian fellowship with those we have known. To reminisce is a joyful and rewarding experience.
Renewing the Heart 