And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; Philippians 1:9
KNOWLEDGE AND ALL JUDGMENT
When we get to know others in the church, we find out some pretty scary things about them. Many of them are still harboring sins that we have long ago gotten the victory over. Many will give a salvation testimony, be faithful to all services of the church, and even volunteer for ministry opportunities, and then we learn that they are far from perfect! They allow things in their lives that we would never do.
Our first impulse is to straighten them out, or to stop having fellowship with them until they at least reach our own level of spiritual maturity. Remember who started the church in Philippi: There was Lydia, the woman with her own homespun coat of righteousness. She was a ‘seller of purple’ cloth, but was also fabricating coats of religion. Paul saw right through this masquerade, and lovingly gave her the Gospel. She accepted Christ, and became a charter member of the local church in Philippi. Then, there was the slave girl who through demonic influence was telling fortunes. When she found Christ and came into the church, there was very little outside of Christ that she and Lydia had in common. After that came the jailer and his family. A man hardened because of the work he was in, having spent so much of his life with the lower life in Philippi, he was hopelessly out of touch with the others in the church. But, the love of Christ in each person’s heart drew them to one another. Each one could see the negative things in the others. And, Paul sees that love for each other growing. That is why he uses that little word, ‘yet’—‘yet more and more’. As it has been already growing, I pray that it will yet continue to grow more and more. As you get to know each other more, that you would look beyond the shortcomings, and would see how God is working in their lives according to His own pace.
Not only is their love to be with all knowledge, but also with all JUDGMENT. Fairly. In such a way that you don’t condone sin in anyone’s life, but that you find a loving way to genuinely love others just as they are, and pray that God would have freedom to work in their lives, just as you desire Him to also work in yours.
If anyone could have demanded that others measure up to His standards, it was Jesus. Yet, He walked down the road, not condemning, but loving others to salvation and godliness. That is a good example for us to follow in our church.
And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; Philippians 1:9
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