Philippians 1:8-11 - What I've Always Prayed For My Kids

Philippians 1:8 God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. 

9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ--to the glory and praise of God.

Paul again asserts his great love for the 'family' of God in Philippi.   No phoney "hugging while rolling his eyes" or "bless your heart", but genuine love, and he backs it up.... 'if you don't believe me, ask God, He knows' .... "God can testify" (v8). 

I'd like to think my love is that deep and sincere, but I know that if 'God were to testify' of it, He would see there is still way more work He has to do in my heart. #WhatAFixerUpperProject

What the apostle prays for them is as powerful as how he prays for them. 

He prays for their love to "abound".  Paul wants them to have...abounding love.. to be so full of Christ's love that if someone bangs into us, it splashes over onto them.

Then he tells them how he wants this love to abound.  Their love is to abound in knowledge and depth of insight...not in feeling... not some sloppy agape...but

Whatcha mean Matey?

overflow in knowing and discerning.  Sounds like a weird kind of love, but think of it as a parent's love.... "Honey, I love you, but you cannot eat 3 bags of Sour Patch Kids for breakfast because you'll get sick"... a love that uses wisdom. Paul doesn't want us to love like the world does... a permissive, superficial emotion that winks at bad behavior because we want peace and to be liked, more than we want what is best for our brothers and sisters.  For Christians, a love that is discerning comes from knowing the will of God, which comes from knowing the word of God.  He wants us to grow in a genuine love for their best interest in their walk with Christ.. to 'sharpen' one another.  Why does this matter?  Why does he pray this?...

1) so that they can discern what is best (v10) 

and  

2) be sincere and blameless when Jesus comes by living a life for His glory (v10,11).  

In a culture that thinks 'love' is letting people do whatever they feel without judging, Paul tells us otherwise... he wants us to use knowledge because what we think will affect how we live, and how we live demonstrates Christ to those around us.

This specific passage has been my prayer for my children for about 20 years.  I don't care about their career, their paycheck, their popularity or their education.   My only desire is that they will live a life that will bring honor to the One who bought them at a great price.  Paul felt the same way about the 'Phlippers'.  He wants them to love with some biblical wisdom, so they can make good choices and bring glory to God in the way they live.

And so today I pray for us, that  "9 our love would grow in knowledge and depth of insight 10 so that we may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ--to the glory and praise of God."  

I pray that we would know well

, so we can choose well, so we will live it well.