Philippians 1:9-11 (NIV)
And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.
Paul’s love and appreciation for the Christians at Philippi bursts forth as spontaneous prayer for them. Even though his prayer has many parts to it, it is really a prayer for one thing, and Paul expects that that one thing will have three results in their lives and witness.
The one thing that Paul prays for them is that their agape love will abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight. Agape love is the defining characteristic of God (1 John 4:8), and the only way that it can manifest stronger and stronger in the life of a person is if that person’s relationship with God, their continual communion with Him through the Holy Spirit, grows stronger and stronger. So, this prayer, at its root, is a passionate plea that the intimate relationship that the Philippians have with God through faith in Jesus would deepen and grow, with the result that God’s love will manifest more and more powerfully in and through them.
That depth of relationship will have three results that Paul specifically prays for. The first is that they may be able to determine the best course of action in every situation. Mankind’s unaided vision is notoriously short-sighted. Without divine guidance and insight, people can’t see five minutes into the future to clearly see the results of their actions. But, as they submit their will to God, He can guide their thoughts, their attitudes, and their actions so that they do those things that will result in the outcome that God Himself wants, which is by definition the very best outcome.
The second result that Paul is praying for is that they would be pure and blameless all the way to the end, filled with the fruit of righteousness that only comes through a powerful relationship with Jesus. Mankind’s independent capacity for righteousness is severely limited by their very human nature. But Jesus has no such limitations. As the agape love of God is allowed to blossom and grow in a person’s life, Jesus is able to live more and more freely through them. Thus, Paul is not praying for the mere human righteousness of the Philippians to grow, but for them to have transparent lives through which the holiness and righteousness of Jesus shines clearly, unobstructed by self-interest.
The final result that Paul is praying for is that God would be glorified and praised through their lives. This is what Jesus was teaching in Matthew 5:15-16, urging His followers to let the light of God shine through them, not that they themselves would receive glory (Matthew 6:1-8), but so that God receives the glory through them, and so that more and more people will be drawn to the source of the light that shines so brightly in their hearts.
Father, our human version of love is so anemic and self-focused that the thought of it being able to produce results like this is absurd. But Your love, genuine agape love, is so powerful when unleashed in the human heart that it is at once transforming and motivating. It changes us from the inside out, aligning us with your mind and heart. And it moves us powerfully forward to do Your will “as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10), so that Your soul-saving, world-transforming agenda moves forward. Thank You for this love. Help it to keep growing in my heart, and in the hearts of all Your people, until it accomplishes Your desired results in each of us. Amen.