“And I pray this: that your love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment, so that you may approve the things that are superior and may be pure and blameless in the day of Christ,”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1‬:‭9‬-‭10‬ ‭CSB‬‬

Paul clearly has a close relationship with the people in the church he planted in Philippi. He prays for them a lot. He mentions praying for them several times in this letter. In fact today’s verse is a prayer. It must have been hard for Paul to leave the fledgling church, especially knowing how badly the devil wants Paul’s efforts to fail. Paul himself used to be a church killer, literally seeking out followers of Jesus to kill or imprison. So he knows the dangers. But the dangers for the Philippians are less physical and more personal and theological. There are power-hungry people who would love to preach things Jesus never said. They seek to have power over the people by tempting them or scaring them or confusing them. So in today’s verse Paul prays for them to have knowledge and discernment in their love. These things aren’t necessarily associated with love! But Paul wanted to make sure love was still the priority. Love isn’t blind though. It hopes for the best but sees the truth. It keeps no record of wrongs by forgiving, but it recognizes what wrong is. I’m supposed to love God first. To love Him is to listen to and obey His Spirit. Christians in Paul’s day had that same Spirit. If I listen to God, I will be able to discern truth from lies. I won’t be frightened into acting a certain way. I won’t be tempted to do what I know is wrong.

Dear God,

Thank you for this letter from Paul about his concerns for the new church which are still very valid concerns. Help me to be discerning in how I love, where I spend the resources (time, money, energy…) you’ve given me. Thank you for being constant and unchanging in an unpredictable world. I know I can always turn to you and not be afraid or confused.