Praying For Abounding Love: Phil. 1:9-11

 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

 AGAPE – selfless love  In our pursuit of righteousness we must never forget love.  The church at Philippi had love – but needed to abound still more.

 John 5:42 – “…but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves.”  1 John 3:15 – “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

 John 13:35 -- By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

 Matthew 22:37-40 – “He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all you mind.” This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, “’You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.’”

 Paul attaches knowledge and discernment to love to complete the package.  Philippi had love but lacked knowledge.  Corinth had knowledge but lacked love.

 “For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge.”  Christianity is a balance between many virtues – among them love, knowledge, patience and zeal.

 That we can be “sincere and blameless”  Sincere = Sin = Without Cere = Wax

 Ephesians 5:8-10 – “…for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.”

 Hebrews 12:11 – “All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”

 Romans 6:13 – “…and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.”

 Pray for abounding love, to love as Christ loved us.  Pray for knowledge and discernment so we can accurately present Christ’s love to the world.  Pray to be used by God and filled with the fruit of righteousness.