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,
Philippians 1:9–10 (ESV)
This morning I started reading through Warren Wiersbe’s book on Philippians called “Be Joyful.” Mainly because I want to concentrate and be intentional about seeing joy in my life, but also because the book of Philippians is my go-to book of the Bible. In this first section of Philippians 1, I was intrigued by the prayer of Paul for the Philippians believers. A prayer that their lives may be filled with abounding love. A love that grows and grows. But it’s not just a simple turn of phrase to love in a general or generic sense, Paul wants their abounding love to be filled with knowledge and discernment. He wants them to have a growing love that is not just some emotional feeling that changes and shifts according to the conditions and circumstances of life. He wants them to have a love that has roots in knowledge and discernment. Why does he add this part? So they may be able to approve what is excellent. That they may be able to discern righteousness. That they will engage their minds in their daily actions and choose what is good, right, and holy for the glory of Christ. For it is not their own love channeled through Christ that he is praying, but the love of Christ being channeled through them.
There are two points in this that challenged me this morning. The first is that when I think about my life abounding in love, I don’t naturally think that my mind needs to be engaged this intentionally. What I mean, is that often times we are taught and believe that when we love someone, we will need to suspend our rational mind and love people despite what we may think or feel. That we are to ignore some of the obvious truths before us and not address them. I think what I mean is that sometimes I feel that we are to “show love” to someone by not addressing their need or our need. Whereas Paul is here telling me that the love of Christ is to abound in me with knowledge and discernment. Jesus wants me to engage my mind in the process of love abounding in my heart. This means being open and honest with myself, Jesus, and others. It means that I must do away with the mask of fake righteousness that I often wear. This mask of deception preventing me from truly abounding in love, because I am unable to approve what is excellent and so be pure and blameless.
The mask of worldly love is the picture or ideal of myself that I want others to see and what I want to project. What Paul is praying in this section is for me to be so abounding in the love of Christ, that my mind is able to discern what is not of Christ in my heart. That the love of Christ is so abounding in my heart that knowledge and discernment reveal the darkness that lurks within and so drives me to Christ in repentance and faith. It is in this state of humility that the abounding love of Christ allows me to truly love Jesus, myself, and others. Not with a fake glossed over love that I put on for show, but a deeply rooted spiritual love for Jesus and his glory.
The second is this: I cannot do this in my own strength. I cannot in my own strength work up an abounding love with knowledge and discernment. There is no twelve-step program for me to love others as Jesus loved others. The only way this prayer comes to life is by the love of Christ working in and through me. It is the abounding love of Jesus alive in my heart that changes my heart and mind. Knowledge and all discernment are only ever through the abounding love of Christ. It’s such a nuanced message that I typically get it out of order. Wanting to please and glorify Christ, I work in my effort to prove my love. Yet, Jesus is calling me to rest in his love. To have his love work in and through me, so that the love of Christ (not my love) will engage and impact others.
It all comes down to humble and obedient trust in the love of Christ for me. It’s the abounding love of Christ that gives knowledge and discernment to my life. It is the abounding love of Christ that enables me to choose the good and righteous. It is the abounding love of Christ working in my heart and mind that will present me pure and blameless to my beautiful Savior.