August 25 | Philippians 1:9-11

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DAILY READING

Philippians 1:9-11

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REFLECTION

ABOUNDING LOVE

By Pam Mann

Do you ever wonder why Paul writes such long, convoluted sentences that your high school English teachers would never have tolerated in your essays? Mr. Ziegfried, my sophomore English teacher, was a passionate advocate for clear writing. His one glass eye made his other working eye all the more intense when students whined about all his red marks on their first drafts. Paul never got Mr. Z’s writing advice scrawled in red across his paper: Write short sentences to make your point! Maybe God likes long sentences that slows us down and gives us more time to fully ponder His message.

These three verses in Philippians 1:9-11 are Paul’s prayer for his readers. He prays what is an attainable goal in our faith walk: abounding love. Not all believers have love that abounds in knowledge and insight, but Paul is praying that his readers will have such abundant knowledge-enriched, insight-packed love. Clearly, this love that Paul prays for us is the blind love of which Shakespeare wrote.

Nope. Paul prays not for blind love, but for purposeful, empowered love. Abounding in this love, we will 1) be able to discern what is best and 2) be pure and blameless on the day of Christ (Judgment Day). If we’re discerning what is best, this love is definitely not blind.

Wait! There’s more! Verse 11 comes at us with yet another, third purpose for knowledge-enriched, insight-packed love. 3) We will be filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ.

Now, we see what Paul prays for us, his beloved readers, who are filled with the love of Christ. 1) He prays that our love will grow more and more enriched with knowledge, more and more grounded deeply in insight. 2) He prays that we will be able to discern what is best. 3) He prays that this enriched love of Christ will keep us constant in purity. 4) He prays that our life will be fruit-filled with righteousness.

It’s a big prayer. If you’re feeling not quite up to the task today, no worries. Just admit that reality to God and to yourself. Then rejoice because you are not the power source of any of this knowledge, insight, purity or fruit! Jesus Christ is the power from start to finish. Your faith walk today is all on Him. God wants your walk to function that way. He wants you to need Him every hour. Then, as you approach the finish line, it’s clear to you and everyone who’s known you that all your kingdom work is “to the glory and praise of God”!

What if these verses were not only Paul’s prayer for his readers but also our prayer for one

another? What if we were as relentless in loving our neighbor as squirrels are at getting into bird feeders.  I marvel at the gymnastic feats squirrels will attempt to eat a handful of seeds. Their persistence and ingenuity is astounding. Imagine what an impact the Church would make if we loved our neighbors with the clever determination of a squirrel on a bird feeder raid. May Christ so richly indwell us today that our love is more unstoppable than a squirrel at a bird feeder. May our love abound, being knowledge-enriched, insight-packed, and fruit-filled to God’s glory!

PRAYER

Dear Jesus, thank You for Your love at work in our lives. Grow in us today knowledge and insight. Make our loving work today fruitful in Your kingdom to Your glory. Amen.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

PAM MANN

I first joined UALC when my husband (then my fiancé) and I were college students involved in youth ministry. God has used UALC to nurture our family’s faith, even in our years outside the U.S. I’ve participated in UALC ministries with kids, art, prayer, exercise, ESL, and Bible teaching. I do all the fun church things.