Hi Ladies,
I can't pick a favorite prayer of Paul's. It usually happens to be the one I'm meditating on at the moment. 😊 But this one below is a prayer that in my role here at ABC, I have personally needed and prayed often. Because it has been on my mind extra, and because I know I'm not the only one who needs it, I believe this is the prayer God wants us to meditate on and pray for each other this week:
"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." (Phil. 1:9-11, ESV)
Love continues to be redefined by our culture, but it's so important that we hold fast to what God has revealed about love in His unchanging character, words and actions.
(Pause: How would you define love from Scripture?)
Paul had such a big heart. And he is praying that the Philippian believers (and we) would have one too - one that is continuing to grow in order to love bigger and better all the time. But he's not only praying for love to abound. Notice the word "with." He's praying that their love would grow in proportion to knowledge and all discernment.
What does that mean? The Greek word here for knowledge doesn't simply mean knowing about something. It means a real, precise, and thorough knowing. And the word for discernment means a moral perceptiveness. Both of these words necessitate relationship.
A big heart without accurate knowledge of God or the person we are seeking to love can be dangerous. And a fierce loyalty to knowledge and truth without a heart that has been radically transformed by God's love can do a lot of damage. And so Paul prays that these would grow alongside each other.
Love is not blind. Love is wise. Love considers - and speaks - God's best for His children, even if the circumstances are difficult. Even if the feelings don't match. Even if it means sacrifice (as it often does). But this love willingly, genuinely and lavishly pours out, because it is rooted in the unending Source of truth and love: Christ (Jn. 15)!
Truth-filled love. Love-filled truth. Abiding. Abounding.
Why does Paul pray that the Philippians would grow in this way? Notice the sequence:
> So that they (and we!) might approve what is excellent. (I encourage you to pull up Blue Letter Bible or the STEP Bible, or use your cross-references/concordance and read the verses that use this word.) Approving what is excellent carries the idea of determining (and then championing) truth over falsehood, good over evil, right over wrong.
> So that they (and we) might be consistently living sincere (unsullied) and blameless lives until we stand before Christ. This can't mean sinless perfection, as Paul makes clear multiple times in this same paragraph and letter (Phil. 1:6, 11; 3:12). But it does mean a heart that is quick to repent (1 Jn. 1:9), that is striving for holiness (Heb. 12:14), and that is resting in Christ for His righteousness (see v. 11, and 2 Cor. 5:21).
> The next phrase doesn't have a "so that." Paul just says "filled." This is In the perfect tense, meaning it can be read "having been filled." It's something that has been accomplished and needs no more completing. I believe Paul is showing that the power to live pure and blameless lives practically only comes from having been filled with Christ's righteousness - our positional righteousness because we are in Him. As Paul says, it is "through Jesus Christ." In other words, we work hard, all by His grace!
And why is Paul praying all this? Because loving this way brings great praise and glory to God (v. 11). We can't conjure up this wise love on our own, but the Spirit of Christ is at work in us as we respond moment by moment in obedience and submission. And the result is our conformity to Christ, which brings our triune God great glory!
Is your love filled with knowledge and discernment?
Is your knowledge and discernment governed by love?
Let's pray for one another this week, that our love would grow in proportion to our knowledge and discernment, in order that we might live practically as Christ has made us positionally, so that we might be ready for Christ's return and bring great praise and glory to our God.
We need to pray this way for one another, as we will not drift into this kind of love. I encourage you to write out Philippians 1:9-11 on a 3x5 card or something that you will see or carry with you this week as a daily reminder. And know I am praying this for you and for me. ❤️🙏🏼
