“And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment (Philippians 1:9).

What a tremendous prayer request the Apostle Paul made to the Lord on behalf of the Philippian believers. He prayed that their love would grow. However it is interesting to see what else Paul prayed for in the very same breath. He prayed that their ever growing love would be channeled as if it were a river with the banks of knowledge and all judgment or discernment on either side. These would keep such growing love in check. When Karen and I were very young and just beginning our ministry, we served a precious congregation in Conklin, New York. There the Susquehanna River flowed in a beautiful setting through the village except for the time that flooding occurred because of ice jams. Then the beautiful river was anything but beautiful. It overflowed its banks in a raging destructive disaster. It needed the riverbanks to hold it in check. That is exactly what Paul prayed and asked the Lord to give the Philippian believers. Not only do we need to grow in our love; we need to have greater knowledge and deepening insight or discernment. That’s just what I need today. How about you?

For today: May our love for people grow as it flows in knowledge and discernment.