“And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment…” (Philippians 1:9)
Wouldn’t it be fantastic if we could simply say something like the following? “Agapao love means to be selfless. Then selfless I will be! Watch out world—here comes Selfless Sammy!”
We then joyfully wind our way through each day expressing selfless love to everyone we meet and in every situation we find ourselves. How realistic does that sound? Wouldn’t we be leery of people who found ways to take advantage of our selfless love? Would we perform every selfless act while holding our breath out of fear of rejection or threat of servitude?
God answers our worry with a promise of reward in verse 10: “…in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ.” This sets a significant truth: If our selfless love abounds more and more, we will be declared sincere and blameless until the day of Christ.
When we see ‘the day of Christ’ in New Testament scripture, it always refers to that exact moment when Jesus returns to establish His kingdom on earth. Revelation 19:11: “And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war.”
Then, in Chapter 20, we read the following: “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them.” (vs. 11). Skipping to verse 15, we find these heavy words: “And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”
That’s the Day of Christ. Not exactly a barrel of laughs, right?
I have enough money in my checking account that I can give April all kinds of things: new tennis shoes, a meal at McDonald’s, a trip to Des Moines. You name it, and I can write a check up to the amount of $74.83.
But what’s the utmost treasure I could give her if it was within my power? The answer is simple. If I pray for her in a way which would cause her love to abound still more and more, and God honored that prayer, a profound result occurs. When she stands before Jesus on the Day of Christ, He declares her “sincere and blameless.”
Having the honor of playing a part in that moment fills me with joy. Even more, it has become my prayer for myself and everyone else I pray for. If you ask me to pray for a bad situation in your life, I will gladly do so. But I will also pray that your selfless love would abound more and more. Your eternal destination is gigantically more important than your current earthly situation. Always.
Our eternal destination should become significant motivation for us to press forward, accomplishing the goal of our selfless love abounding more and more in the midst of each passing day.
It reminds us of how Jesus is described in Hebrews 12:2: “…who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” That’s not to say Jesus wasn’t already bound for Heaven upon His death and resurrection. The point is that His vision was always upward—towards re-entering eternal glory and re-uniting with the Father.
Jesus exhibited the pinnacle of selfless love with His sacrifice on the cross. He described that pinnacle before He went to the cross: “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)
This then becomes our first focus on the ‘real knowledge’ stated in verse 9: “…may your love abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment.”
With ‘real knowledge’ comes wisdom. With wisdom comes the infinite capacity to shower selfless love upon others. Living in selfless love solidifies being ‘sincere and blameless’ at the Day of Christ. You’ll be able to call that a ‘good day.’