Love Exercises – Philippians 1: 7-11

Paul describes an aspect of love in verse 9 when he tells the church, “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment.” How interesting! The love Paul describes in this verse is none other than the agape love that God literally has for us — and at the center of it is what many might call rather non-emotional elements: Knowledge and discernment. But make no mistake: Our love must have both for it to be effective.

Increasingly in our world today folks possess a serious misunderstanding when they often declare, “My experience determines what’s true — for me.” But God’s love is absolute. And so is his truth. It’s true for me, for you, for everyone, yesterday, today, and forever. Therefore love in such instances means telling folks the truth, loving them enough to communicate to them that there is only one truth — and that’s found in Christ.
So it should come as no surprise that the love behind knowledge and discernment has nothing to do with gooey, gaga-eyed love that makes our hearts race, leap, and go pitter patter. It’s the love that will keep us in check, for instance, if there are things in our lives that are displeasing to God — and help us get rid of them.

May we be patient and kind with people and then see what the Lord does in our hearts. May we venture out and practice the “distribution” of the Lord’s overflowing love, and in the process may we undergo God’s refinement as we use our knowledge and discernment to approve of what is excellent so that we 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 1:11)