“And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;”
Philippians 1:9
As the Apostle Paul writes through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to the church of Philippi, he shares with them his prayer for them – that their love may abound and that love would lead them to the truth.
As a pastor, I feel such kinship to him in this passage. I look within our church and my heart’s desire is that our people will abound in love and will abound in truth! What makes this passage even more desirous, is the meaning of that word abound! It means to, “superabound in quantity or quality, to be in excess.”
Think for a moment what our lives would be like if they were to be filled to the point of excess with love and truth! Our marriages would blossom and our relationships deepen because of the love that called us to minister to one another and the truth that would strengthen our bonds. Consider the effects it would have on our children – to know within the very fiber of their being that they are loved and the security they would receive being raised by parents who have love that abounds. Think of the decisions they would make as their lives abounded in the truth! They would be choosing the right things, making the right friends, turning from the peer pressures and temptations – because we allowed truth and love to abound!
I think, as a pastor, what a church would be like that was abounding with love and truth! What a testimony! What a ministry! What an opportunity!
The amazing thing is – we can have this in our own lives and churches!
First, we must begin at the source of truth and love, The Lord Jesus Christ! In John 14:6 the Lord tells us that He is “the truth” and in I John 4:19 He tells us that He “is love.” Dear believer, we must spend time with the Lord – in prayer, in praise, and in meditation. The only way that truth and love may abound in our life is by the influence of the Lord in our lives!
Secondly, we must grasp God’s concept of truth, The Word of God. For us to truly abound in truth, we must be reading the sacred text! Psalm 119:30 teaches us that God’s Word will teach us the way of truth – Psalm 119:105 speaks to God’s Word lighting our way through life! We must take the time for God and His Word. We must see the great need for our lives to abound with truth and love!
Lastly, we must allow the love that God shares with us to be shared with those our lives touch and the truth that He teaches would be allowed to influence and mold our lives! Jesus’ great desire was that His disciples would be known as people of love (John 14:36) and as we see through the inspiration of Philippians 1:9, that love would lead us to abound in truth.
As Paul prayed for love and truth to abound in this dear church, I pray that truth and love will abound here at, Rural Retreat Baptist Church, and that truth and love will abound in your life, dear believer!
God bless you,
Pastor Jacob