Philippians 1:9-11
And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may 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.
In this passage, Paul prayed for all the saints. Not only did he prayed to God to give them more love, but also asked that God gives them more insight in their love. What is love with insight? First of all, love with insight is one that distinguishes right from wrong. Love is not blind and love can distinguish goodness from darkness. Ability to distinguish right from wrong is a demonstration of maturity, like the growth of a child. A baby boy cannot distinguish between different cars, for every car looks the same for him; when he turns to a youth, he can tell what the make and type of a car is with one look. In the same way, mature love is a love that can distinguish right from wrong.
Second, love with insight will help us to become a pure and blameless person. It's not enough to just be able to distinguish right from wrong; if a person can only tell right from wrong, it's easy for the person to become one who judges others, yet neglect to examine whether the testimony of Christ has been manifested from his life. Have you tried to live a life that is pure and blameless? It is a humbling experience, because it's impossible to live such a life with our own might! As soon as we humble ourselves and ask for God's help, however, God's spirit will start to move freely in our life. It's like what Ephesians 3:20 says: "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us."
Lastly, love with insight can help us to bear the fruit of righteousness. What is the fruit of righteousness? Besides the testimony of life, the Bible says that we need to bear three types of fruit in the Lord. First, the fruit of the gospel, which is to lead people to the Lord. Second, the fruit of lips, which is a lifestyle of praise. Is your mouth always filled with God's word? You must submit your mouth before God, and then your heart can praise God. Finally, the fruit of giving, which is the testimony of taking care of one another. Do you see the needs of other brothers and sisters, and are you proactively filling those needs? May the proactive love of God be filled among us!
Pray with Pastor Tong
Lord, we thank you, for we love because you first loved us. May the Lord help me, let my mouth be filled with words of praise, and let me fulfill the needs of others. Let me be a vessel of your love and let your love flow through me. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!
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