"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."
Paul's top prayer request is for abounding love. Abounding love precedes excellence, sincerity, and blamelessness. This same association is found in I Thess. 3:12-13 " .. and may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all men, just as we also do for you; so that He may establish your hearts unblamable in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints." As God increases our love for one another He is producing in us holiness. Verse 9 of I Thess. 3 tells us, " Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to write you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another..."
In Jeremiah 31:33-34 God reveals a new covenant, "But this is the covenant which I will make with he house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord, I will put My law within them, and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God and they shall be my people. And they shall not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying 'Know the Lord,' for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, declares the Lord, for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." Jesus quotes from this passage in John 6:45, adding "Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me." To come to Jesus, we must first hear and learn what the Father teaches. And what the Father teaches us is abounding love.
Paul tells us that abounding love is found in "real knowledge and all discernment". The word "knowledge" comes from acknowledgement, or confession. It includes the idea of recognition, understanding, and awareness or familiarity. While discernment requires judgement and insight; keen perception allowing us to distinguish and separate one thing from another. Paul wrote another prayer in Colossians 1:9, here he asks, " that you may be filled with knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding..."
To have the abounding love that God desires to teach us, He begins by revealing His Truth. We must first recognize and acknowledge that truth, distinguishing it from all other teachings of the world.
It is in God's Truth, His Word, that we begin to "approve" or distinguish the things that are "excellent", what is better and of more value. When we choose the more excellent things we become "sincere" - tested and genuine, brought into the sunlight- and "blameless" - without offense, not led into sin. We are also "filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ,"
James speaks of the fruit of righteousness "sown in peace" in James 3:17-18 "But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy... " This is what the Lord longs to fill us with. This is abounding love in true knowledge and discernment, this is His will for each of us.
And it is all "through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God."
Truth - I need abounding love. I need real knowledge and all discernment. I want to be found sincere and blameless on that day when Christ returns. I hope that others will pray this for me...
Father in heaven, I love You and desire to be taught by You. I desire to have abounding love and wisdom that is from You. Fill me with the knowledge of Your will. Father, I pray for my brothers and sisters in Christ, that their love will also abound more and more in real knowledge and discernment. I pray for my loved ones and my church family asking for You to draw us nearer and nearer to Your Son Jesus, the Beloved One. All things are in Your Hands. All glory and praise to You. Amen.
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