“This is my prayer: that your love might become even more and more rich with knowledge and all kinds of insight. I pray this so that you will be able to decide what really matters and so you will be sincere and blameless on the day of Christ.”
Reflection
In meditating on Paul’s prayer, we begin to understand that love is not only an emotional expression. Love is an action that can be enriched to guide us through life’s challenges with purpose and clarity. In this passage, Paul uses the Greek word agape to imply love as selfless concern for others. He expresses that “love” is not just an emotional state but a conscious willingness to act selflessly (you can read more here).
Consider some of the ways that you may be able to demonstrate selfless love. I have recently become a regular donor through the Red Cross, which has filled me with a tremendous love for humanity and the gift of life. Look for ways like this where you can make a positive contribution to those around you. If not the Red Cross, perhaps you could volunteer time at a local shelter or sit with a homebound neighbor and offer to pray with them. Each act of kindness, no matter how small, can create ripples of love and light that extend far beyond our imaginations.
To cultivate a love that is rich in knowledge, read through Scripture and uncover the ways that we are made one body of believers through Christ. Let us also pray often and connect to the Holy Spirit to seek guidance in our relationships and decisions. When we ground ourselves in the understanding that God is with and for all people, we avoid the dangerous pitfalls of flippancy, greed, and arrogance. We leave behind the “us versus them” mentality and instead recognize the inherent blessed nature of every person. Remember that we are all made in the image of God, and we grow when we learn how to love in God’s way; that is, unconditionally and selflessly.
by Thomas Hoskinson
For Pondering and Prayer
Paul points us towards a life that bears fruit of the Spirit (see also Galatians 5:22-23), where we are able to positively impact those around us. A life rich in love, knowledge, and insight glorifies and draws others to God. As we strive to embody the essence of Christ, consider those who are dearly seeking your forgiveness. Sit with God and work towards peaceful reconciliation with these words:
Prayer: Lord, I speak to You today not with my lips, but with my heart. Though I do not understand this world and the pain that it causes, I look to You in patient anticipation of Your return. Until that blessed moment, let me not get caught up in divisions that separate me from Your people, and instead provide me with Your generous spirit of forgiveness. Bring me to reconcile with those who have wronged me and allow me to be forgiven by those whom I have wronged. Thank you for teaching us the ways of your divine love that will never lead us astray. In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.
