Day 23 : The love of God in our hearts

Let us look again at a prayer of Paul, we find it in Philippians 1: 9-11 :

"And what I ask in my prayers is that your love grows more and more in knowledge and full understanding for the discernment of the best things, that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, The fruit of righteousness which is through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God."

This prayer is so full of beautiful things that we can make it a whole book. But let's go to the basics.

First of all, Paul prays that your love will increase more and more. And this is not the last time he prays. In 1 Thessalonians 3:12 he prays another prayer : "May the Lord make abound and love your love for one another and for all, following the example of the one we have for you !"

Let us remember that the Lord Jesus, in his priestly prayer, prayed the same thing : John 17:26 "I have made known to them your name, and I will make it known to them, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, Like me in them."

1 John 4: 8 tells us that God is love. Knowledge of God must always produce love, otherwise it is not the true knowledge of God. In 1 Cor. 8: 1 Paul says : "Knowledge swells, but charity builds up. If anyone thinks he knows something, he has not yet known how to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known to him. We would probably have said that it is knowledge that builds up. But Paul says that it is love that builds up. This proves to be logical: when we love God, we are known to him, therefore we have this love in us and it is this that edifies us. The word for 'charity' here is 'agape', which is the love of God. It goes far beyond the human, natural love someone can have. Knowledge concerns, in 90% of cases, only our intelligence and therefore builds only our brain. How many Bible schools, seminaries, etc. Are filled with knowledge, and produce only persons educated in the knowledge of God and the Bible, without really being edified in this 'charity' without really knowing God ? In the end, what is the priority, the heart of God ?

In fact, Paul said, at the end of his life, in 1 Tim. 1: 5 : "The purpose of this injunction is love." The injunction he speaks of is the preaching of the Gospel. At the end of his life, after living so much with God, he drew the conclusion that love is the most important thing. Does our life produce love? How many churches have divided, how many precious Christians are broken, sometimes for life, because of a lack of love ?

Tomorrow we will continue to study this magnificent prayer.

"Lord, I want to know your love, and I pray that your love be poured out in my prayers, and in all the contacts I have, especially among my brothers and sisters. In the name of Jesus, amen !"

René de Groot