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 until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ–to the glory and praise of God.”

 

The warmth in this Pauline prayer comes partly from his confidence that the Philippian Christians were his partners in the gospel (vs 5).  He counted on their prayers (verse 19).  He depended on their godly love for him.  At the end of this letter, Paul returns to this theme of partnership, rejoicing in the Philippians' love and thoughtfulness (4:10-19).

            Godly love requires growth and maturation.  The way this love grows is through an increase in “knowledge.”  Paul expresses this same thing in Colossians 1:9 as meaning “knowledge of God’s will.”  God is Love!  His will is for us to LOVE; love Him with all our heart, and love others with the love He gives.  The more we understand the love of God, the more our own love “may abound.”  The more we KNOW the love of God, the deeper will be our insight on God’s design for serving together.  The deeper our insight the more practical discernment we will have for what is pure and good and best.  Christian love is not mere sentiment, it is rooted in knowledge and understanding of the very nature and heart of God.   And so Paul prays for his partners so that they may “abound” in this love. 

            Christians are to practice in their relationships what is morally and ethically superior to the sinful nature of humans.  We just cannot love like this without prayer.  The high calling of Christians in this life is to be without any mixture of evil and not open to censure because of moral or spiritual failure.  That’s why Paul prays for his partners to be pure and blameless until the day of Christ.  On that day we will all give an account and our love will be revealed for what it really is!

            The more we know the love of God the more we recognize our need to be emptied of selfish and self-serving love that we might be filled with God’s righteous and holy love.  Greater love has no one than that which God’s Son revealed in laying down His life for us sinners.  Paul prays for his partners to be filled with this kind of love that comes through Jesus Christ and produces the fruit of a love that does the right thing, in the right way, at the right time, for the right reason.  This results in the glory and praise of God – it’s His love in us!  Let me encourage you to pray for your partners in this same way!

 

Thursday:                   

• Humbly meet together with at least 1 or 2 other partners to encourage godly love and pray for each other.
• Join our 6:00pm Thursday night prayer team.         

Friday:             

• Confess your need to know the love of God more deeply so that you may more worthily reflect it in your own life.
• Pray for the Good News families of the week: Alberto & Kasandra Aneses (Alberto Jr.), Mike & Jenna Arilotta (Josiah), Steve Babcock (Maribeth, Zach).

Saturday:       

• Thank God that, while we were still sinners He loved us and Christ died for us.

Sunday:          

• Ask God to increase your understanding of His nature of love as it harmonizes with all of His other holy attributes.
• Join in with our Sunday prayer services to pray for God’s presence and blessing.

 Monday:         

• As an expression of your love, ask God to help you make prayer meeting, worship, fellowship, Bible study, and serving Christ at the top of your priorities and regular habits of life.
• Attend “In Touch” Prayer meeting at GNCC at 10:30am or join in prayer at that time.

 Tuesday:       

• Pray that others will see the growth of godly love in your life and become motivated with the same priorities and habits.

Wednesday:   

• Ask God to enlarge your capacity for receiving and disbursing His holy love! 

 

Prayer Challenge: Become more discerning and sensitive to the importance of praying for your partners in the Gospel.  Join together in prayer that God’s love may so abound, that it will be clear to you and your partners the best and right ways to love and represent Him.