Discerning Love

Philippians 1:9-11 “And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, 10 that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, 11 being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” 
 
HOW do you decide the best thing to do in any circumstance? We act on assumptions or feelings, assuming a particular truth. You then respond with an action to fit that fact. If you have the right information, your response is generally appropriate to the circumstance. If you are misinformed, your response is more likely to be incorrect.
    What must you have, then, to make Christ-like decisions in your life? Of course, you must know Jesus. This sounds simple, doesn’t it? But you know it’s not. Your heart is not naturally inclined to move toward God. That’s sin’s great penalty. You know how easy it is to make excuses and to excuse yourself from knowing Jesus.
    For example, I was talking with someone who said his desire is to know God more. But I don’t believe his heart is in it. How do I know? He says he’s too busy to read the Bible. He’s too busy to pray and too busy to learn from others. His life stays at a distance from God because he pretends his life is too busy for his Creator.
    We all must be alert to prevent this undisciplined “too busy” life. There can be no such thing as being “too busy” for God. If you are, you are telling him, “I’m lord of my life, Jesus. I’ll let you know when I’m ready for you.”
    Yes, there are many days we are inclined to neglect spiritual disciplines. But be strong against temptation and submit to the Lord’s leading. That’s why Paul writes to the Philippians, “I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment.” He is covering their minds in prayer to purposefully seek God. You and I need to pray this for ourselves and each other, so our love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment until the day we meet Jesus.
    I encourage you to pray that God will empower and sustain your mind to know him more. Remember, Jesus calls you to be his disciple. A disciple is disciplined. A disciple has a daily goal to learn more of Jesus and to live more deeply into his love.
    You know it’s a struggle to gain knowledge of Jesus. You know you need to move more consistently into Jesus. You know you need people praying for you. You know it’s time to start.
   
Joy Link: Turn over your “too busy” life to Jesus.