And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment. Philippians 1:9
A young woman named Lana learned that her father had become too sick to look after himself and would require daily care. Her father’s sister also became sick. So Lana devoted her life to looking after her father and her aunt. For the next 20 years, she took care of them, making sure they had everything they needed, and doing everything she could for their well-being and comfort. But after 20 years, she developed a fatal disease herself. After her sister Betty arrived to help, the two women had a long conversation about Lana’s life. Lana told her sister how happy she has been to have so much love in her life. Yes, Betty said, their father and aunt loved Lana very much. Surprised, Lana declared, ‘No, that’s not what I mean. What I am happy about is that I have been able to spend these years showing my love to Father and Aunt Jane.’ Lana’s love was a very special thing, something like the love that the apostle Paul is praying for the Philippians to have in today’s text.
As our text declares, and as Lana discovered, love is not necessarily something that we receive; it is primarily something that we do. And Paul is praying that the love the Philippians are displaying will abound, or continue to grow and spread. None of us love as we should, or as our perfect Example, the Lord Jesus, showed us. There is always room for improvement when it comes to our output of love. So, who should we be loving more?
Our families could always stand more love. Even the best of husbands and wives come up short of the instruction of Scripture, at least some of the time. And our love for our children, although very real, needs to be adjusted frequently to keep the selfishness out. And what about those family members, immediate or extended, who are not yet saved? Are we devoting the prayer, testimony, and other efforts that we should to demonstrate true love for their souls?
It is certainly true that we love our fellow believers, especially those in our Assembly. At least some of them. But the Lord Jesus gave us a new commandment that makes it mandatory that we love them all. Even if they fail to love us in return. After all, He loved us before we ever loved Him. And he loves many billions who will never learn to love Him. Like His, our love should be unconditional and unlimited. Should be! It seldom is, but that should be our goal.
Just as the Lord Jesus loves those who know nothing of Him and His love, so we should love them too. Our love for lost souls, including those who we have never met, is a measure of our likeness to our Lord. An interest in the work of our missionaries, in the efforts of the evangelists that we know, and in the spread of the Gospel everywhere should be accompanied by prayer, support, and whatever activity we find available.
Paul’s prayer is for us to have a love for many. And for that love to abound yet more and more. -Jim MacIntosh