“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.” (Philippians 1:9-11)
It is difficult to read Paul’s letter to the Philippian church and not see the love and joy he has in his heart for this group of believers. It may seem odd that he writes of such joy towards them seeing that he is writing from prison (vv.13-14). That fact alone should inspire us to be joyful and at peace in any circumstance, for I am quite certain the vast majority of us have not been incarcerated. That fact lends itself to the thought that our situation could always be worse than it currently is.
The nature of Paul’s prayer for the believers at Philippi is one of profound love and appreciation. Paul wishes their knowledge and insight in the Lord to increase. When he speaks of ‘insight’, Paul is speaking of judgment, discernment or moral perception. There is a way that we, as believers, are to live and Paul is encouraging the readers of his correspondence to essentially walk close to the Lord that they may be able to make proper judgments regarding those things which are godly and ungodly. Their discernment will allow them to differentiate between the two.
So it is in our lives as Christians today. As we walk this path laid out before us, we too will need the ability to tell the difference between what is from God and what is from our own mind, borne out of selfish desire. Our lives need not be complicated. We make them that way ourselves. This is why it is imperative that we draw close to our Lord and seek His mind in all matters of importance, for He is always right and has our best interests in mind at all times. As we serve God and seek to do that which is pleasing to Him, we must learn how to discern things properly so that we will remain pure and blameless on the Day of Judgment. In all things we are to bring glory and praise to our God.
WALK WITH THE KING AND BE A BLESSING!
NOTE: “The letter is addressed ‘to all the saints . . . at Philippi.’ Philippi was the site of the first Christian mission in Europe. It resulted from Paul's response to ‘the Macedonian call’ (Acts 16). The city, named after Philip of Macedon, father of Alexander the Great, was located eight miles north of Neapolis, the port city. Philippi became a Roman colony in 42 b.c. It was a strategic city for the launching of Western Christianity.” (Asbury Bible Commentary)
