Sorry Twilight fans, love isn’t all about ooeey gooey feelings. It isn’t about pasty parasites running through the forest, for that matter. I don’t know much about Twilight because to me being forced to watch Twilight makes Water Boarding look like a Toddler Swim Class. But, I digress. I need to take it easy on Twilight fans because they are not the only ones who have a misunderstanding of love. Most humans do. We focus on all the emotion and little of the substance. Love is a decision, it’s sacrifice. The ooeey gooeys are a byproduct of love. That’s why many relationships don’t last. That girl that you “loved” in 7th grade only to agree to see other people two days later, never got to the point of sacrificial, real, biblical love. Sadly, many adult relationships never get there either.
So when Paul prayed for the Christians at Philippi to grow in love, what did he want for them? First, he wanted their love to grow deeper in knowledge and depth of insight. To truly love requires knowledge. Knowledge of God, of yourself and others. You must know who you are without Christ and then know His great love for you that overwhelms all of that. Then you must know the truth that is God’s Son, Jesus, and all He did for us and all the people in this world. That knowledge will motivate you to share that love.
Paul also prays that their love will grow and overflow in discernment or insight. Once we begin to grasp the great love and affection Jesus has for us, we must begin to grasp the wisdom and insight to live up to the new identity Christ has given us. When I was a kid I had school clothes and play clothes. You better not play in your school clothes. By His grace, God has given us new clothes in Christ. His desire is that we bring glory to Him by not dirtying them up! He’s called us to a new name and new standard.
Paul’s hope was with this greater love and knowledge, that the Philippians would choose what was best so that they would remain pure until Jesus returned. When we try to stay pure and keep our new clothes clean, we allow that fruit of righteousness God has given to shine through and give Him glory.
So if you want to be able to experience real love and share real love, here’s what you do. Spend time in the Word of God. I hope that this series of devotions will help you in that. So your knowledge and insight will grow. You can’t share love you haven’t understood yourself. The more you uncover about Christ’s great love for you (and even pale vampires), the more intense the need to tell others becomes. What comes next is an overwhelming desire to be more like Jesus; and when that happens, you “look” more like Him. When you do, you won’t be able to stop that fruit of righteousness from pouring out into the lives of others. And that’s a whole lot better than shirtless werewolves frolicking in the forest. At least I think so.
Read Philippians 1:9-11
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