Philippians 1:9–11

LOVE. Out of the abundance of the heart of God He gave us JESUS. 

All God, all man. He died for our sins and in Him the Father sees the Son and His righteousness. Holy Spirit will change us from the inside out until He can see the reflection of His Son in us.

Jesus is the love of God made  flesh. He is 911 for mankind.

I watched the tape of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s speech (Wednesday) to our Congress (his first known trip outside of Ukraine since Russia invaded about 10 months ago). I sat, appreciatively glued as (his remarks in English) he thanked the U.S. for its help in the fight against Russia, and for "all those who value freedom and justice." Talking about Ukrainians living in darkness with power outages from the bombings, he said, “But we will celebrate Christmas. The light in our faith and our self will not be put out.” 

And for last minute gift shopping... let’s take this prayer into the Christmas weekend...
Dear God.
Help us to fill our gift list this year.
To our enemies, help us give forgiveness.
To our opponents, tolerance.
To our friends, our heart.
To those who are hurting, hope.
To our customers, service.
To those around us, charity.
To every child, a good example.
To ourselves, laughter and respect.
And to you, our worship.
Amen. Sabbath Moments 

Philippians 1:9–11

9 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. The New King James Version

As Paul explains later, love (agapē) involves putting others before oneself. 

The knowledge that Paul has in mind is not just intellectual but experiential, acquired through acts of love. The Greek term used here, aisthēsis, refers to the ability to make decisions for the benefit of others. When the Philippians’ love abounds, they will be able to determine what is most valuable or beneficial to the community of believers. 

Fruit of righteousness refers to the natural results of belonging to Christ, whose death and resurrection bring righteousness to all who believe. Faithlife Study Bible

The love that Paul sought for the believers is the highest form of Christian love, based on a lasting, unconditional commitment, not on an unstable emotion. 

Knowledge the first of two terms on which a directed love is built suggests an intimate understanding based on a relationship with the person. Here the focus of this knowledge is God. 

Discernment is found only here in the New Testament, the Greek word means moral or ethical understanding based on both the intellect and the senses. The word implies perception or insight into social situations. 

The verb used for “that you may approve” in ancient literature was for the testing of gold to determine its purity, and for trying oxen to assess their usefulness for the task at hand. 

The purpose of increasing in love, controlled by knowledge, is to be able to evaluate people and situations correctly. 

Sincere literally means “judged by sunlight,” it does not mean “honestly trying hard,” but rather pure, unmixed, and free from falsehood. Any spot in a garment or imperfection in merchandise could be seen by holding the object up to the sunlight. Christ died to free the church from every blemish. 

Using still another graphic term to describe the Christian, Paul conveys the sense of not striking out at someone. Here the phrase means not leading others into sin by one’s own behavior. 

The goal ahead for the believer is the day of Christ in which the believer will stand for evaluation before the Savior, who is the faithful and true witness. The NKJV Study Bible

Matthew 3:8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance,

John 15:8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

John 17:24 “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

Acts 24:16  This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men.