AND THIS I PRAY

Today’s post is a meditation on Paul’s expression of how he prays for the Philippian believers.  I think it stands as an excellent example of how believers should pray for each other today—especially in light of the signs of the times all around us.

Philippians 1:9–11 “And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.”

This group of verses forms one connected thought.  Paul is telling the Philippians how he prays for them. 

• That their love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment – We’ve all heard the old saying, “Love is blind”; but true love is not blind.  Real love is a choice, a choice made because of and sometimes in spite of what we know.  Paul is praying that these believers will love one another with discernment and perception.  To love “more and more” with discernment and perception references the ability to determine needs in the body of believers and act accordingly--to know when encouragement is needed, to know when correction is needed, to know when material or physical help is needed, in short, to act so as to promote unity and strength in the body of believers and in sharing the gospel with the lost.

• That they approve things that are excellent – Excellent is a reference to things that are “the best,” that are superior and of great value.  To be able to approve or discern what is best, one must have a basis for judgment.  That undisputable basis for the Christian is the word of God.  Paul declared this truth in his letter to Timothy.

2 Timothy 3:16–17 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”

This is also the basis for the discerning love mentioned above.  Unless we accept the word of God as our foundation for truth and morality, we are left to the subjective opinions of man.  So it would seem that the underlying prayer that Paul is making is that these believers grow in knowledge, wisdom and application of the truth of scripture to their lives.

 

• That they are sincere and without offence – To be sincere (pure, genuine) and without offence (faultless, inoffensive) is the outcome of choosing what is excellent.  Burton Coffman had an interesting commentary on the word sincere:  “It has often been pointed out that this word is derived from two Latin words, sin (without) and cere (wax).  Italian marble vendors and certain merchants of porcelain fell into the habit of hiding flaws in their merchandise by filling cracks and blemishes with a certain kind of wax; but the more reputable dealers advertised their wares as sin cere (without wax); and from this derived the meaning of the English word ‘sincere.’ The true meaning of it is "without deception" or "without hypocrisy."

Paul’s prayer is that the Philippians exhibit this type of character “till the day of Christ”—a reference to when He comes to take believers home.

• That they be filled with the fruits of righteousness – The natural progression of discerning love, excellent choices, and living a pure life will produce fruit.  This would be a reference to the fruit of the Spirit as defined in Galatians.

             

How is that fruit produced in our lives?  By abiding in the Savior.

Galatians 5:22–23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”

John 15:4–5 “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”

When we yield to the Savior to the point of producing fruit, we bring glory to the Father through the provision of the Son and the empowerment of the Spirit that we possess because of that provision.

 

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