Good morning family:
"And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ -- to the glory and praise of God.
Philippians 1:9-11"
Every new year I try to spend some time with the Lord to find out from him what it is he wants me to focus on that new year. This year I know he wants me to be closer with my family.
But what exactly does that mean? How do we get closer to one another? How do we build a family? Especially with us being spread out in so many different places. If it were only just distance that would be an easy thing to handle. But it is not just geographical distance. It is also distance due to time we have kept apart. It is imagined distance in "feelings"about each other. It is the distance created by our own self talk about ourselves and each other. It is the distance created by past hurts and pains, imagined and real. It is our actions past and present, . . . and even our planned future responses . . . you and I know them . . . "If he/she says or does xyz I am going to do zyx because I know he really means bcd!" Or does he?
So we plan a family reunion. We hsve a great time. But when heading home we wonder why "x" wasn't there. . . . It will be another 3 years before the next one, why? Because of the distance which is still present within us when we ate together and when we got up to leave from there.
So Lord how does this change? How do we build the family that He, Christ has called us to. How?
I heard God speak through the Apostle Paul this morning in Phillipians:
"And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ -- to the glory and praise of God."
First Murphy Junior, understand this prayer, pray and and live it. The prayer is that our love may "abound more and more." Aaah, Lord I like this. This is what we all want. More love. Let's stop there, okay? But no, it goes on . . . "that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight."
Oh I am okay Lord with the first part, . . . I think. I always wondered why she said . . . why he did . . . I always wanted to tell him to the face that he was, did, or shouldn't have . . . and this knowledge thing, . . . well God, that just might be the ticket to my burying the hatchet . . . in his/her back! Hmmm . . . but God works on two way streets . . . if I am going to get more knowledge of them, they will also get more of me, and what if they want to bury the hatchet also . . . in me? And truth be told, I have been a bit of a scoundrel at times . . . But they may not know it . . . but here God is saying they will . . . that for our love to grow for one another it must grow in knowledge. I guess I had better complete the path . . . "in knowledge and depth of insight."
As we get closer one to another we will undoubtedly find out more and more about each other. The fake will drop and the real will show itself . . . the good, the bad and the ugly. What may not be so apparent is the the insight as to the why's behind the bad and the ugly. We may not see the hurts which are there, causing the walls to be raised, the defenses put up, and the atomic weapons of mass destruction which were sent our way. Knowledge PLUS depth of insight. God must be the one to reveal this insight. And to what purpose . . .
". . . so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ"
To discern what is best. And the character of this best is a holy best, pure and blameless before Christ. Not the best place to bury the hatchet in them, but the best place to bury the hatchet so that it may never be found again, as far away from them and you as possible. The best way to help in healing the hurts and misunderstandings; the best way to show and live out love for each other and towards each other. I forgot what minister said that they would rather see a sermon lived out than hear one any day. So it must be with us. When we get the knowledge . . . which we will . . . and when we seek God and get the depth of insight . . . what He will give . . . we will discern what is the best way to love and be a healing minister to each other more and more and more and more . . . . pure and blameless before Christ. We will forgive.
In writing you can't take a pause as you can in speaking. . . . but here I would like to. So do so now. We will forgive. . . .
The way the passage is written I thought the next part was after all of the above, but in actuality it is the means by which we accomplish this love more and more . . .
" . . . filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Chrsit"
It is in being filled with the fruit of His righteousness through Christ that we can do this type of uniting love. It is interesting that Paul would write, "the fruit" of His righteousness and not just being filled with His righteousness. It is not enough to just be filled with righteousness, this works only if we DO the fruit of righteousness. We must love with action and deed, not just holy and pious thought.
A number of years ago I held a very deep hurt against one very close to me. I went to an old saint in the Lord and told them that I just could not forgive that one. The hurt was too deep. Too great. Too painful. She did not lecture me about having to, she only told me how. Everytime I was to think of that person, and the anger and pain was growing up insider of me I was to say out loud, "In the name of Jesus I forgive XXX for _______________ (fill in the blank with whatever I was getting mad and hurt about at the moment). And then pray for their well being.
This I was willing to do. This is making sure that I am filled with righteousness. But the next bit of instruction was a tad bit harder. . . . okay . . . okay . . . this I thought was going to kill me . . .
Send them gifts. Expensive gifts. Things that cost me something. Things that were a sacrifice to me. Send them year in and year out. Several times a year. With little notes, telling them of something good that I thought about them.
This was being filled with the FRUIT of righteousness. It was the acts of love, the act of repentence, the standing and walking daily and moment by moment in a decided choice to love and love, more and more.
I thought I would die. I did not die, but the hatred for them did.
And if you have such hurts in your life, "aught against your brother," do not kid yourself, where such hurt is allowed to remain it is not a little love for them it is hate, covered by false humility and fake love. Love can not grow more and more and more. A family can not be built. We can not grow closer in such an environment.
And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ -- to the glory and praise of God.
Philippians 1:9-11"
So I will pray, understand and do the prayer this year. For myself and our family. I don't expect it to be easy but I do expect it to end as he promised . . . .
" . . . to the glory and praise of God!"
Let's not be the one missing, let's not be "X" - not there.
Got Word?
Love yah,
Murphy Junior (as my dad used to call me)
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