Philippians
1:9-11 “And this I pray, that your love may
abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that
you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and
without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of
righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of
God.”
Did
you know that knowledge and judgment that are motivated by love are directed
very carefully to certain end products that will fulfill our Lord’s design and
desire for His adopted sons and daughters while they are still on Earth. An
article that I read lately explained that a repository of facts can be nothing
more than a curiosity, and is often an arrogant distraction. The longest
distance in the world is from head to the heart. Taking what we know and
turning it into a demonstrable action, something that will elicit change in our
lives and the lives of those around us, is true wisdom. The ability to
transform knowledge into action is oftentimes quite the hurdle. A
growing intellectual ability must be useful. It is no different in God’s
kingdom. Our knowledge and judgment must be used to “approve things that are
excellent.”
Matthew
22:36-38 “Teacher, which is the
great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love
the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with
all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment.
Paul’s
challenge to the Roman church was that they use their minds to “prove what is that good, and acceptable, and
perfect, will of God”. To his young son in the faith, Paul insisted that
Timothy study to show himself “approved
unto God, a workman that need not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of
truth”. The “proving” (testing, affirming) has a twofold goal: that our
life on this earth would be “sincere and
without offence” and that we would be “filled with the fruits of
righteousness.” Purity and productivity are earthly spiritual goals that are
reiterated many times in the Scriptures. They, of course, are mere reflections
of the holiness that our Lord creates in us when we are born again, but they
are nonetheless an often-repeated demand for those of us who claim a kinship
with Christ Jesus. The Bible sums it up this way in 1 Peter 1:15-16 “ but as He who called you is holy,
you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be
holy, for I am holy.”
Blessings
in Christ
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