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Paul’s prayer for the Philippians – Phil. 1:9-11
Paul’s prayer for the Philippians – Phil. 1:9-11
“9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; 11 having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God” (Philippians 1:9-11)
James stated that “the effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much” (Jam. 5:16). Paul was a righteous man and one who prayed fervently and continually. In the face of the disciple’s persecutions, hardships, poverty, and troubles, Paul prayed. Prayed for WHAT?
Here in Philippians, he prayed that the love of brethren would abound. Usually we would have that as a complete sentence, but Paul goes further showing us that love is not an isolated attribute of disciples. It was a love that would ABOUND in ‘real knowledge’ and in all discernment. (see also Col. 1:9; 3:10; Philem. 6). Without such knowledge and discernment, ‘love’ often makes bad choices! Not seeing the long term results we choose by emotion rather than knowledge. Hence Paul’s pray.
As citizens of heaven living as aliens in a foreign country, we need to “distinguish between the things that differ’ (footnote on ‘discernment’ in NASB). Such discernment is couple with the need for ‘real knowledge’. First, such ‘real knowledge’ comes from the word of God, the revelation of a wisdom that is from above. We let the word of Christ dwell in us richly. Then, with such knowledge we are able, with use, to discern between good and evil (Hebrews 5:14). More than that, we can discern between good and better, even better and best. Such discernment is directed at making wise choices about living godly. In particular, we make choices that will best result in glory and praise unto God.
We are often found filling our minds with all kinds of knowledge, much of it not all that useful for being faithful unto God. Paul’s aim of such knowledge and discernment was to result in our being ‘sincere’ and ‘blameless’. Sincere is to be ‘unmixed’, to have singleness of heart’, to be focused on the real reward, to have set our hearts on things above and not those things here on earth’ (Col. 3:1-5). This will allow us to walk before God in godliness, holiness, and righteousness – being blameless before the world.
In such living, our lives will be filled with the fruit of righteousness. Read again the fruits of the Spirit in Gal. 5:22-23, and the list of character traits of God’s people in 2Peter 1:5-7. These passages should describe our living before the world.
Thus, all of this is to produce glory and praise unto God. In all that we do, we live to bring glory to God (and not to self). We desire that God be praised and not ourselves. Is this included in your prayers for each other?
Hugh DeLong
