January 6, 2025 -- Philippians 1:9-10 -- Approving what is excellent

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And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ…
Philippians 1:9-10 ESV
 
Sinclair Ferguson notes “Almost two thousand years after they were written these pages continue to speak with a freshness and power. Our situation and circumstances differ from those of these early Christians; but in the message they received we hear the voice of the Spirit of God addressing us still today” (Sinclair Ferguson, Let’s Study Philippians. 2010 reprint, page xvi). That is so true. The prayer Paul prayed for those dear to him Philippians really does resonate still today.
 
What is he praying for? That the people’s love abounds in these ways: love for God. Love for one another. That love is not reckless but corrected on the one side by knowledge and on the other side by discernment. Love with no definition or guidance is not love, it is excess and leaves a trail of brokenness in its wake. Knowledge of God and of His people directs love towards those who are willing to receive it without being manipulative or using it for gain. Love with all discernment means that love is spoken in both affection and correction. Love includes both discipling and discipline.
 
Knowledge and discernment both help the believer follow Jesus Christ in what is excellent. There are many good things to do. Social justice. Feeding the hungry. Housing the homeless. Care for the addicts. Extending hospitality. Going to church. What is excellent though? It is not doing things for their own purposes but living with the clear, Christ-centred view that one day Jesus will return and anything that was done for self-purposes, for humanistic purposes, for virtue-signaling will be worthless. When Jesus returns those who are pure and blameless are the ones who have served others knowing they served Jesus Himself. Guided by the knowledge and discernment of His Spirit they carry out their acts of love both within the fellowship of God and then outward to the world in need working in partnership for the Gospel (cf v.5 & 6).
 
How is memorization going for you? Are you setting a goal? I am, two months in, struggling to be accurate, to achieve a 90%+ accuracy in reciting chapters 1 & 2 of Philippians. My memorization buddy was so encouraging. He is done Philippians, and he is now working on memorizing I Timothy. (And he started after I did!) Why am I not discouraged? Because of the love that abounds between brothers in the faith. He encourages me and I encourage him to keep this up. Second, I have memorized more than if I’d just given up. Third, I can see the practical benefits of memorization. It is a good use of my time. The word is more alive. I can see connections between various books of the Bible that I’d not seen before I started memorizing. Keep going. Memorize as you’re able to do so.
 
God our Father thank You for Your Word. Thank You that the Spirit has preserved it through all these centuries so that it is as fresh and applicable today as the first moment it was written down. Spirit, help us to gain a fuller knowledge of the word and greater discernment in applying it. Let the Word be so living and powerful that we desire to know and memorize it with the full confidence that in so doing, we will grow in our fellowship with and obedience to Jesus our Lord and Savior. Amen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClVpKTBCk8k&list=PLRzXk0dA1rXoRemTv1nLXlzJ0GG9kZbsl Phil. 1:1-11 Song
 

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