Love in Full Knowledge and Discernment

Php 1:9  I continue to pray for your love to grow and increase beyond measure, bringing you into the rich revelation of spiritual insight in all things. 

1Th 3:12  And may the Lord increase your love until it overflows toward one another and for all people, just as our love overflows toward you. 

It is significant that Paul prayed that their [the Philippians’] love would abound “in full knowledge and all discernment.” The Philippian believers had much love. Yet their love needed to abound, to overflow more and more, not foolishly, but in full knowledge; not in ignorance, but in all discernment, that they might prove by testing the things which differed. This should include discernment of the different preachings of the gospel in Phil.1:15-18 and of the different peoples in Phil. 3:2-3.

Paul did not pray that the Philippians’ love would abound in zeal or in the affection of a good heart. As we all know, love is related to emotion. However, Paul prayed that their love would abound in full knowledge and all discernment, both of which are related to the mind. According to common human experience, love is blind. When a person exercises himself to have a sober mind, when he is calm, clear, and knowledgeable, love is gone. It seems that being loving and having a sober mind cannot exist together. Either a brother loves his wife foolishly, or, being clear in his understanding and sober in his mind, he becomes cold in his love for her.

Paul prayed that our love would abound more and more in full knowledge and all discernment. The Greek word for discernment means sensitive perception, moral tact. Discernment is the ability to sense things. Paul did not want the Philippians to love in a foolish way. On the contrary, he encouraged them to love with a mind full of knowledge and discernment, sensitive perception, and moral tact. The knowledge and discernment about which Paul speaks in 1:9 are actually Christ Himself. When we experience Christ, He becomes our knowledge and discernment. The reason we lack the knowledge and the discernment to differentiate between the different kinds of preaching is that we are short of the experience of Christ.

Thought of the Day:

Paul prayed that Our love would abound in full knowledge and all discernment, both of which are related to the mind. To love with a mind full of knowledge and discernment, sensitive perception, and moral tact. When we experience Christ, He becomes our knowledge and discernment. with which we love others. we are to love others not with our Emotions but with Christ.

Prayer Confession:
Dear Lord, I pray that you help me love others not with motions or blindly but with Christ who is my knowledge and discernment. Amen

Further Scripture Reading:

1Co_14:20; Eph_5:17; Col_1:9