Philippians 1:3-11 (NRSV)
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Verse 3I thank my God every time I remember you, Verse 4constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, Verse 5because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. Verse 6I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.
Verse 7It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God's grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. Verse 8For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus.
Verse 9And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight Verse 10to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, Verse 11having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.
Devotion
In Philippians 1:9 we read, “And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight.” What does it mean to have love that grows in wisdom and insight? In this verse we see the unity between the head and the heart. Further, if Jesus is the very embodiment of God’s love, then what in the life and ministry of Jesus is speaking to you today that you can learn from? Consider how intellectual knowledge and the knowledge of the heart are unified in Jesus.
Prayer
Divine Love, I lift up to you this request, that I and those I encounter this Advent season may have love that abounds more and more in knowledge and depth. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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