Walking with Christ to Produce the Fruit of Righteousness

9 And I pray this: that your love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment, 10 so that you may approve the things that are superior and may be pure and blameless in the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:9-11) Closing out this section on prayer, Paul prays that the believers in Philippi would grow in their faith as they walked with Christ. We see from the passage, that love is not simply just an emotion, but can grow “in knowledge and every kind of discernment.” Studying the Word of God increases the believer’s knowledge, while discernment comes from the application of God’s Word in our daily lives. Both of these combined together lead to Christian love being shared to both man and God. In verse 10, Paul’s prayer that the believers will increase in discernment will help them grow as they choose things that are “superior,” meaning what is beneficial for their lives according to God’s will. Not only that, but discerning choices will help believers be “pure and blameless in the day of Christ.” Now, this does not mean that believers will be absolutely perfect on earth, for there is still that sin-nature within us. However, with the Holy Spirit within us, we can be guided to choose to be pure and blameless as best as we can as we await the Lord’s return. Finally, in verse 11, Paul prays that the believers will be “filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.” Some of the fruit that comes from this righteous life walking with Christ can be found in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things.” Therefore, may we walk with Christ daily, learning how to love as He loves, growing in knowledge through the Word and apply it to our decision making, glorifying God with our lives, giving Him all the “glory and praise” for His work in us. Blessings, Isaac De Guzman www.my-wbc.com https://www.facebook.com/WestsideBaptistChurchSBC