This I pray

"And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;"– Philippians 1:9

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The apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippians was written during his time under house arrest in Rome. In this letter, Paul does not focus on problems or crises. Rather, the focus is on the relationship between him and the believers in Philippi. Paul received financial support from the Philippians and they also sent Epaphroditus as a domestic help to support him in his time of house arrest. So, he is very thankful for their support in this time and writes this letter to them in a way as a friend, rather than just a missionary. 

Philippi was a special place for Paul; it was his first place to start a church on the European continent. In Paul’s time, Philippi was a large and wealthy city and it's location was very important: it was the gateway to Europe. This location also played a role in the spreading of the Gospel. Paul usually visited the synagogue when he came to a new city. However, there was no synagogue in Philippi (maybe the reason was there were not enough male Jews in this city). Instead, Paul visited a Jewish women’s prayer group. That is where he met Lydia, a wealthy businesswoman.

In the first chapter of this letter, verses 9-11, Paul shares what he prays for regarding the Philippian church. He prays for four aspects of Christian life:

Firstly, Paul prays that their love will continue to grow more and more in knowledge and depth of insight. Paul doesn't simply pray that they will have more success or fewer problems. He prays that they will grow in love and become more like Christ. Paul speaks about love that is accompanied by knowledge and understanding This is a love that knows when to encourage, to correct and to forgive.

Paul continues by praying that the believers will be able to discern what is best and excellent (verse 10). In our daily lives, there are many choices we need to make regarding work, finances, relationships and responsibilities. Each day, we need God's wisdom to make the correct choices that reflect His will.

Thirdly, Paul prays that believers will be “sincere and without offence till the day of Christ” (verse 10). It is about allowing Christ to work in us so that our character, attitudes and actions increasingly reflect Him. I recently read a 1896 Christian novel by Charles M. Sheldon. “In His Steps” is about a group of ordinary people who decide to make one important commitment: before making any decision, they will ask themselves: “What would Jesus do?”. This book shows how asking this question changed every action they took in their daily lives.

Fourthly, Paul prays for believers of Philippi to be filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ. This fruit is similar to the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). The fruit of righteousness should be visible in all that we do: in the way we treat people, respond to difficulties, handle conflict and conduct ourselves when nobody is watching. Paul says this righteousness comes through Jesus Christ. We cannot produce genuine spiritual fruit through our own strength alone. We need to remain connected to our Lord Jesus Christ.

The world's standard measure for growth is what we achieve, what we own or how far we have progressed in life. As Christians, the important question we need to ask is: Am I becoming more like Jesus and producing fruit that glorifies Him?

Reflection on Philippians 1:1-11 by Hanne