That Your Love May Abound: Another Prayer from Paul

This week I tried to write a short Instagram post for Valentine’s Day, but I only had a little time and quickly got overwhelmed by everything I could say about love. And then I sat down to write a post about Philippians and realized that this verse is a good starting point for a lot of what I wanted to say.

Paul continues to tell the Philippians how he is praying for them, and in chapter 1:9-11 he says:

“And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”

A lot of those words are not necessarily ones we associate with love - at least, not the flowers and hearts and chocolates version of “love” that we’ve seen so much of this week. But let’s break down how each phrase of this verse ties back to the purest form of love.

Paul says he is praying “that your love may abound…in knowledge and all discernment.” Those are interesting words to go with something that our world often sells as a mere feeling. But I think sometimes Christians overcorrect, and talk about love as if it’s only an action based on the truth you believe, and not connected to feelings at all.

What if biblical love is not a mere feeling or a cold truth, but the intersection of both? The combination of our deepest emotions and sharpest thoughts?

God created us with hearts AND minds, and they are meant to be used in tandem. We need the knowledge and discernment of biblical truth to inform us of God’s love for us, and inspire our love for him. And in turn, that abundant love gives us an even greater thirst for the knowledge of his truth.

And what is the result of this love abounding in knowledge and discernment?

First, that we would “approve what is excellent.” One version I looked at translates this as “understanding what really matters.”

When you are full of God’s love and truth, you learn to see things as he sees them. In a world created by a good God but marred by sin, that’s a useful skill, because it’s not always easy to see what’s good and what’s not.

And second, that we would be “sincere and without offense.” That’s the New King James Version, which is what I use for memorization, but most other versions say “pure and blameless.” Or, to simplify it even more, “holy.”

The word “holiness” just doesn’t have the same reputation as “love,” but I would argue that in their purest form they’re pretty close to the same thing. They are both deeply woven into the very heart of God.

The pursuit of holiness is really just being as close to and as like God as you can possibly be. And the more you know God and become like him, the more you are transformed into a person of love.

We don’t become holy or loving by our own efforts, though, which is why the next phrase says we are filled with the “fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ.” Everything we’ve talked about so far is a fruit - a result that we did not create - of knowing Jesus. We get his perfect love and righteousness.

And that is why all of this is a prayer. None of these character traits are things we can earn and work for all on our own. They’re gifts from God. And Paul wraps up this section by talking about why:

“To the glory and praise of God.”

This is the purpose behind it all - the love, knowledge, holiness, and righteousness he gives us. It’s all for his glory and praise.

And in his infinite wisdom, what is best for his glory is always, always best for us.