You’ll appreciate our opening verse better if we read it from the Amplified Version. It says, “And this I pray: that your love may abound yet more and more and extend to its fullest development in knowledge and all keen insight [that your love may display itself in greater depth of acquaintance and more comprehensive discernment].” Here, the Spirit’s prayer through Paul is that you demonstrate and express the love of Christ copiously, with knowledge and discernment.
Christianity is walking in the love of Christ: expressing and manifesting His love in a dark and cynical world, howbeit, with the knowledge of God’s Word and discernment. Sometimes, people think that when you walk in love, you’re naive and weak, but that’s not true; love never makes you weak. Rather, it’s those who don’t walk in love, in the knowledge of God’s Word and discernment, that are naive and weak.
Love makes you give of yourself to others without thinking of what you’ll get in return. It makes you think of others and accept them just as they are. Love is unselfish and breaks the barriers of race, ethnicity, and social strata. Love sees the beauty in others and appreciates who they are. Consciously appreciate those around you and express the love of Jesus to them. God wants you to act that way, more and more. He said, “...that your love may abound yet more and more and extend to its fullest development in knowledge and all keen insight...” (Philippians 1:9 AMP).
Take your communication for instance; the way you address others; it ought to be with loving, gracious, and edifying words. Never talk people down. Never use words that hurt and demean people. Communicate excellently with others without destroying their self-image or making them feel sorry for themselves. Talk to people in a way that they never forget the excellence of your words, the love and grace of Christ that you communicated. It’s how God wants us to live.
Preaching the Gospel isn’t only when you talk to a sinner; you preach the Gospel with your life every day, no matter who you’re talking to. And the Gospel, is Christ alive in you: His love seen, heard, expressed and experienced by others through you.
PRAYER Dear Father, thank you for your love-nature that’s fully expressed in, and demonstrated through me. I’m loving, tender, compassionate and gracious to those in my world, displaying and spreading your righteousness and the realities of the Kingdom, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
Romans 3:1-31
Psalms 42-44
2 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
Luke 11:37-44
Judges 2-3
FURTHER STUDY:
Romans 5:5
James 3:6-10
Ephesians 4:29
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