<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>Philippians 1;9-11<div><br></div><div><b>9. &nbsp;And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment,</b></div><div><b>10. &nbsp;so that you may approve what is excellent, and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,</b></div><div><b>11. &nbsp;filled with the fruits of righteousness which come through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.</b></div><div><br></div><div>Love which <i>“abounds </i><u>more and more”</u>&nbsp;is the ongoing work of God in&nbsp;us as well as through us.&nbsp;It is limitless in increase, just as God himself is infinite in holiness, power, and wisdom. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Paul is asserting that Believers are now joined into this perfect&nbsp;infinite love. &nbsp;We have been made partakers of the divine nature. &nbsp;W<span>e are growing into both ‘</span><span>being loved’ as well as ‘</span><span>loving’ with that very same perfect love.</span></div><div><br></div><div>This perfect love is much more than emotion, it is wisdom which knows the will of the Father AND also&nbsp;that which is NOT the will of the Father. &nbsp;Especially is this <i>“discernment”</i>&nbsp;applied to every part of ourselves,<span>&nbsp;our attitudes, thoughts, and desires, (</span><span>along with our actions). &nbsp;(For too much of what we think, feel, and do, are inspired by our old selfish, carnal nature.)</span></div><div><br></div><div>This is why Jesus said, “W<i>hoever would be my disciple, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” &nbsp;</i>(Matthew 16;24 )</div><div><br></div><div>The moment we are baptized, we are made <i>“pure and blameless”. &nbsp;</i>This condition is God’s gift to us in Christ. &nbsp;It is in us in our souls, however, our flesh is at war with this gift of God and seeks to draw us away into misbelief, despair, and other great shame and vice.</div><div><br></div><div>The key to living out the gift of God is ongoing teaching, <i>“knowledge”&nbsp;</i>and<i>&nbsp;</i>the practice of <i>“discernment.”</i></div><div><i><br></i></div><div>This is why Jesus commands, <i>“and teach them to obey all that I have commanded you.” </i>(Matthew 28;18-20).</div><div><br></div><div>Saving faith embraces the divine nature which has been gifted us <u>in Christ,</u>&nbsp;now&nbsp;at work in us&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;(see, Galatians 2;20 and Philippians 2;13 &amp;&nbsp;4;13) urging and inspiring us to walk in the Spirit in holiness, denying the old nature.</div><div><br></div><div>Notice Paul says, <i>“<u>be</u>&nbsp;pure and holy”,</i>&nbsp;NOT ‘<u>become</u>&nbsp;pure and holy’. &nbsp;Purity and holiness are ours in Christ, we do not create or obtain them, they are ours in our baptism into Christ.</div><div><br></div><div>Prayer: &nbsp;Merciful Father, deliver us from obscuring the image of Christ you have given us in our baptism into him. &nbsp;Bless us&nbsp;to be filled with the fruits of righteousness as we walk by this faith. &nbsp;In Jesus we pray, Amen.</div><div><br></div><div>Love,</div><div>Dad/Baba/Eric</div><div>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</div><div>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word. &nbsp;God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”</div><div><br><div><a href="https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&amp;c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&amp;af_sub1=Acquisition&amp;af_sub2=Global_YMktg&amp;af_sub3=&amp;af_sub4=100000604&amp;af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>


Philippians 1;9-11
9.  And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment,10.  so that you may approve what is excellent, and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,11.  filled with the fruits of righteousness which come through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
Love which “abounds more and more” is the ongoing work of God in us as well as through us. It is limitless in increase, just as God himself is infinite in holiness, power, and wisdom.  
Paul is asserting that Believers are now joined into this perfect infinite love.  We have been made partakers of the divine nature.  We are growing into both ‘being loved’ as well as ‘loving’ with that very same perfect love.
This perfect love is much more than emotion, it is wisdom which knows the will of the Father AND also that which is NOT the will of the Father.  Especially is this “discernment” applied to every part of ourselves, our attitudes, thoughts, and desires, (along with our actions).  (For too much of what we think, feel, and do, are inspired by our old selfish, carnal nature.)
This is why Jesus said, “Whoever would be my disciple, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”  (Matthew 16;24 )
The moment we are baptized, we are made “pure and blameless”.  This condition is God’s gift to us in Christ.  It is in us in our souls, however, our flesh is at war with this gift of God and seeks to draw us away into misbelief, despair, and other great shame and vice.
The key to living out the gift of God is ongoing teaching, “knowledge” and the practice of “discernment.”
This is why Jesus commands, “and teach them to obey all that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28;18-20).
Saving faith embraces the divine nature which has been gifted us in Christ, now at work in us  (see, Galatians 2;20 and Philippians 2;13 & 4;13) urging and inspiring us to walk in the Spirit in holiness, denying the old nature.
Notice Paul says, “be pure and holy”, NOT ‘become pure and holy’.  Purity and holiness are ours in Christ, we do not create or obtain them, they are ours in our baptism into Christ.
Prayer:  Merciful Father, deliver us from obscuring the image of Christ you have given us in our baptism into him.  Bless us to be filled with the fruits of righteousness as we walk by this faith.  In Jesus we pray, Amen.
Love,Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.  God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”
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