Phillipians 1
Rebecca Lightfoot
Somehow, the way we love/how we love/what we love/what motivates our emotion of love...has an impact on how our heart/mind/life is shaped....whether or not our heart/mind/life is shaped in such a way that we will, or will not, “approve what is excellent”(Philippians1:9-11).The word “excellent” here refers to all GOOD & PERFECT things that persevere as GOOD &PERFECT through EVERY TEST of ALL TIME...;all things that truly/fully matter for GOOD...;all things that are somehow connected with ULTIMATE TRUTH/connected with the ONLY things that can be TRULY TRUSTED for our GOOD!And this is why n Philippians 1:9-11 Paul prays,”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.”!God so desperately desires for our GOOD that HE has articulated ALL THINGS TRUE & WORTHY through HIS Word,& then confirmed them through the Birth;Life;Sufferings;Death;Resurrection;&Ascension of Jesus Christ.Paul is praying this prayer for us so that what motivates our love may be increasingly motivated by ALL THINGS TRUE&WORTHY so that the choices we make/decisions we make/paths we choose,etc.,will be those that are BEST for us and BEST for those around us(..”that you may approve(Choose) 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(Galatians5:22-23,”the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience,kindness, goodness,faithfulness,gentleness,self-control;against such things there is no law.”),which are by Jesus Christ.”).If we base our decisions/choices/directions of our heart/mind/life on things that are NOT TRUE nor TRUSTWORTHY,then our lives will NOT have the fruits of righteousness in our lives...,and we will never know a peace AND joy that surpasses all understanding through all time.When Paul prays for our “love to abound more and more in all knowledge & discernment....”,he is encouraging us to have what motivates our love&the way we love to be shaped by “all knowledge and all truth”,of which Proverbs1:7 says,”The fear of(awesome respect for)the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,but fools despise wisdom & knowledge”.Paul knows that in order for our love to be motivated and shaped RIGHTLY,and for our own BEST interests,we need to turn to The Lord Jesus Christ & “abound more & more” in the knowledge He teaches throughout His Word & have THAT be what increasingly guides our discernment(how we make decisions) that motivates our love->the WHOM we love,& how that WHOM is allowed to “abound more & more” in our lives.A poet once wrote,”tell me whom you love,and I will tell you who you are”!This is at the core of Paul’s prayer in Philippians 1:9-11,because at our core whom we love determines who we are.This will at its most basic state boil down to our choice of “loving our personally inspired ways,or loving those inspired by The Lord”.Our love needs to be founded in and on Jesus Christ because He has proven His trustworthiness for all time.The only trusted WHOM for our love to abound is Jesus Christ-His Word/His Life/His Promises in order for who we are to abound more and more in all that is GOOD & PERFECT,and all that truly will stand the test of all time.Dear Lord,this exposes so much of me that is not abounding more & more in all that is GOOD & PERFECT,& that instead much of me is abounding in things that are not eternally GOOD & PERFECT.Forgive me...& May Your Mercy&Grace abound in me more & more so that the shape of my heart/mind/life be changed to abound more & more in You.