Discernment

 Philippians 1:9-10 ESV

 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, 


If we want to know how to pray for people, we could do worse than to study the prayers of Paul in his letters. He prayed that the Philippian church would increasingly be defined by love. It's not that they weren't already loving, it's just that we should be abounding more and more in love.

Paul wasn't just on about some warm fuzzy feeling. He was referring to people knowing God personally, not just intellectually. He wanted his readers to be able to discern what is right.

With discernment, often the choice isn't between right and wrong. Often it is a case of what is good, and what is best. If we're offered two different jobs for example, we have to take our pick between them.

God doesn't want us agonising about the decisions we take. He wants us to prayerfully decide to do what we believe will bring him the most glory. He wants us pure and blameless on the day of Christ.

'Dear Abba God, we're grateful that we can be pure and blameless on the day of Christ, through faith in him. Help us honour him, in whose name we pray, amen'.


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