Thoughtful Love

 

And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for 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 ESV).

 

I usually imagine the Apostle Paul pacing from wall to wall in his dimly lit cell while imprisoned in Rome dictating his letters to the churches to one of his faithful friends speaking extemporaneously, rapid fire at a pace nearly impossible to keep up with. However, our reading today comes from one of his letters that seems to be dictated slowly with thoughtfulness. It is as if he is reminiscing and the memories he recalls brings feeling of love and appreciation to his situation allowing him to speak with tenderness and great depth. In just three verses today we find deep insight. Yes, Paul is thankful for the Philip­pians, but thanksgiving is not his only prayer. He also wants their love to abound. He is not thinking about some sentimental, greeting-card kind of love, but a thoughtful, giving kind of love.

 

For the Christian, love is more than sentiment. It also involves depth of insight, discernment, and the ability to figure out what is best in a given situation. It prompts us to ask, “What will help me be the most transparent to Jesus when I encounter this or that situation?” We don’t typically associate love with a furrowed brow as we figure out the most fitting way to act. But Christ-like love involves exactly that kind of thoughtfulness. The goal is to produce spiritual fruit that reflects Jesus and also points others in his direction.

 

When we read that God “so loved the world (John 3:16),” we know that God’s plan of salvation was behind that divine love. Yes, such love did involve warmth and ardor, but God’s working out of our salvation required a lot of holy discernment too. Do we think it was easy to solve our sin problem? It cost the life of God’s only Son! As we are called to love, we are also called to the God-like activity of fruitful hard thinking so that in all things we will bring glory to God in Christ. From what I have seen and experienced from some, this kind of love is far from our thoughts. We must be thoughtful in our love and its expression. This is the way God loves us. Let’s follow that example in all we say and do.