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. . . .

— Philippians 1:9-10

The apostle Paul and the church in Philippi shared a great love for each other. Because of his love for them, Paul wanted the Philippians’ love to abound in knowledge and insight so that they could live more like Jesus. With knowledge and insight, the Christians in Philippi could better discern all that is true and good. Knowing what is true and good would prepare them to love as Jesus does. The focus for a follower of Jesus is to love God above all and to love your neighbor as yourself.

How can I love God and my neighbor without knowing the will of God? To try to love God and my neighbor apart from knowing God’s will and his ways would put me in a battle against God—with my will versus God’s will. But that would be a battle I would always lose. Thankfully, I do not have to take on that kind of battle.

In his love for us, God gave us his Word (the Bible), and he sent Jesus (the living Word) to show us how to live. Following Jesus’ example, we too, like Paul and the Philippians, can grow to abound in knowledge and insight as we humbly seek to love God and our neighbor.

Gracious Father, thank you for sending us Jesus to reveal your love and to show us a new way of life. Fill us with your Spirit, that we may strive to follow Jesus today. Amen.