Hi y'all :)
Greetings in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ! The Lord bless thee and keep
thee! The Lord be gracious unto thee and give thee peace! Amen!
Quiet Times (Psalm 119:33-40, Proverbs 4, &
Philippians 1:9-11)
"Above else guard your affections. For they influence
everything else in your life." (Proverbs 4:23)
"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 until the day of Christ, filled with
the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ--to the glory and
praise of God." (Philippians 1:9-11)
Observations:
Paul prays for the saints with 2 requests:
1. Their love may abound more and more in knowledge!
2. Their love may abound more and more with depth of insight!
Five reasons Paul brings these 2 requests before God on behalf of the saints:
1. That they may be able to discern what is best until the day of Christ.
2. That they may be pure until the day of Christ.
3. That they may be blameless until the day of Christ.
4. That they may be filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through
Jesus Christ!
5. That God can be glorified and praised!
Interpretation:
Paul's reasons for praying for the saints is focused on Christ too! He wants
the saints love to abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight so
that they can discern what is best, they can be pure, they can be blameless,
they can have the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, for
one reason: To the Glory and Praise of God!
Interpretation/Application:
I saw important implications for our own life.
I ask you now dear friends, how is your attitude?
Dear friends, as Christians we need to take seriously what it means to love others. This
kind of love is the agape kind and not the Eros or Phileo kind. It is through
our love for the Lord Jesus and His saints that we can discern what is best, can
be pure, can be blameless, and be filled with the fruit of righteousness that
comes through Jesus Christ!
Think about it, most sins occur in our lives because we do not really understand
the concept of loving. If we love Jesus so much, we would make sure we want
Jesus to be happy. So, we will want to do things that will keep Jesus happy. We
will also realize that we cannot do it on our own but we need the Lord's help so
we will depend on Him to be able to discern what is best, be pure, be blameless,
and filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ.
I learned it is important to realize that purity, blamelessness, and fruit of
righteousness only come through Jesus Christ. If we try to be pure, blameless,
or righteous on our own, we will fall with a THUD! No one
is righteous, not one, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God
according to Romans 3:23
Being pure, blameless, and exhibiting fruit of righteousness will make Jesus
happy. It starts with love. Let us love Jesus with our whole heart. Let our love
for Jesus not be conditional. Let us not have the attitude, I will love Jesus
only if this or that happens in my life, etc. Jesus deserves our love for dying
for our sins and coming back to life to save. Only through our love for Jesus
can we bring glory and praise to God because our love for Jesus will exhibit
itself with the people around us. It is important we make the prayer in God's
Word our prayer for the saints and ourselves. Let us keep the words of Jesus in
mind:
"But among you it is quite different. Anyone wanting to
be a leader among you must be your servant. And if you want to be right at the
top, you must serve like a slave. Your attitude must be like my own, for I, the
Messiah, did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give my life as a
ransom for many." (Matthew 20:26-28)
Almighty's Truth Tells Instantly To Understand
Deliverer's Emphasis: Servanthood (A.T.T.I.T.U.D.E.S)
Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, we thank you for your promises and how
much you love us. Thank you for helping us in our troubles. Even when we do not
understand many things, I thank you that you are there guiding us. Help us Oh
Lord to live for you and serve you. Let love overflow through our lives Lord.
Please forgive our sins and help us to become more and more like you. We thank
you for your forgiveness and that you take care of us. I pray right now Lord
Jesus for my brothers and sisters that their love may abound more and more in
knowledge and depth of insight, so that they may be pure and blameless, so that
they may be able to discern what is best until you come back being filled with
the fruit of righteousness you give them to the glory and praise of God, the
Father. Thank you Jesus you do hear us and answer us. In Your Name I Pray Jesus!
Thank you for hearing us and answering us! Amen!