12. THE POWER OF JOY IN THE PRISON OF PAIN IN PHIL. (part11)

PRAYERS PETITIONS V.10-11  that ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ Being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by  Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

INSIGHTFUL LIVING V.10

APPROVAL               That ye may approve

ADVISABILITY         things that are excellent;

Prayer for a deeper love of God leads us in a more intense love for others.  Our prayer is to see through His Word the design of insightful living where we have a growing intuitive perception in the best of things.  There are average things; there are good things but we want to approve the things that are excellent.

There a difference in things sold at Kmart and Wal-Mart in contrast to items purchased at Nordstrom’s or Bloomingdales.

The meat at Jack n the Box is a different quality then the steaks at the Metropolitan Grill and Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse.

Abounding love v.9 develops the cultivation in the approval of things of excellence.  The word “approve” translates to mean to examine and discern; in other words – refined discernment. It not only decides what is right and wrong; but, proves what is excellent, in contrast to that which is good.

We are to pray for ourselves. We are to pray for others.  Our petitions need to be specific. Our growth in love should refine in us an ability to test, verify, examine, judge and evaluate. We should be able to verify the authenticity of what has worth and value, in contrast to what is worthless and shoddy so we plea for the best.

Excellence literally means to carry through, to convey more worth, and to increase in superiority. We are to discriminate and distinguish to that which carries the greatest weight.

God’s investment in us proves our value to Him.  He gave us Jesus a life of perfect excellence.  Jesus sacrificed His all for His Father and thus for us.

What is our assessment of God’s expressions that demonstrate His love to us in His Word?  The Psalmist gives us his appraisal of God’s words of love in Psalms 19:10 – “more to be desired are they then gold, yes then much fine gold.”  His life carries through for us a life of excellence and His Word is a book of excellence.

Where are we in our evaluations?  We’re to pray that our love of God’s Word will be lifted to the highest of qualities, to develop the best character.  This approval is the attire that influences our inner life and clothes us on the outside to grow in love.  Are we surrounding our life in the wardrobe of Heavens best?

So much has been invested in us and this affirms our value. We are to live in the reality of our worth, in all of these investments of love.

INDISPUTABLE LEGITIMACY

SINCERE                  that ye may be sincere

The word sincere means without wax and uncontaminated.  Containers were often made of pottery in the first century.  If the vessel was flawed with cracks, wax was used to hide those cracks.

Royal Copenhagen Flora Danica is the world’s most expensive, commercially produced china. Flora Danica retails for $6, 975 per place setting.  Imagine, 7k for one place setting!  What if I dropped a plate like this and then glued it back together?  It would be insincere, damaged goods and marred with corruption.  God has picked us up from our brokenness and now commissions us to be renewed in His excellent Son and don’t paste ourselves together with the wax of this world.

We have a little 3-pound dog that we value as our baby.  I was walking her in Kirkland along the beach last summer and a lady offered me 4k for her.  I tend to be a little mercenary so I called my wife with the proposal.  She was not pleased with my avaricious implications.  I said but she only has four teeth left.  There was no sway in the situation as my wife’s sentimental attachments put greater value on our micro pooch.  What is best to my wife is her feelings about this little bundle of fur, me the $4000.

Our God values us and He wants us to approve His estimation. To be sincere to our genuine worth is to live according to the indisputable legitimacy of our authenticity.  Are we loyal to the sacrifice that has been given for us?  We were purchased at an infinite price and to live in a cheap cut rate way is shoddy and dishonoring.

SENSITIVE               and without offence till the day of Christ

What happens when we’re offensive, distasteful and repulsive?  We turn people off, drive them away and stumble those we want to have a positive influence on.  I’ve been taking medication for pain to keep me from getting painted into a corner with muscle, joint and nerve inflammation that limits my mobility. But what solves one issue of pain agitates another of internal tension.  My inner tolerance is sensitive, causing feelings of belligerence and confrontational vibrations.  I’m not claiming to be free of some natural tendencies to be a jerk, but these last few years with two surgeries and multiply steroidal spinal injections has really been exposing my tackiness.

We need to be sensitive to the drifts of situations for each day is an opportunity for Jesus.  He deserves to have a warm worshipping welcome when He returns.  When I stood in front of a room full of guests at my wedding it would have been a raw deal if my bride staggered down the aisle in rags all disheveled and intoxicated.

Wuest Word Studies defines “Without offence” as literally, “not cut against, not stumbled against.”

We, in living for the worth and honor of Christ, are to discern each step we take in our lives in respect for Jesus, in respect for others and in self respect so we are not a stumbling block to others.

IMBUED LIGHT V.11

CONTROLLED          Being filled with the fruits of righteousness

“Being filled” is a reference to what completes us or what controls us.  If I’m filled with fear or insecurity then that’s what will regulate my behavior.  If I’m filled with irritation and intolerance then offensive responses overflow out.

“The fruits” is a reference to the characteristics or flavor.  Fruit is the outer expressions and qualities of what we let control us.  What we all allow to sway our lives will produce a crop of fruits, flavors and characteristics.

Fruits of righteousness are the outcome of our lives when we are centering our life in God’s Spirit and allowing His Spirit to guide us and fill us.  The end result is the righteous fruit of love, joy, peace, longsuffering (selfless tolerance), gentleness, goodness, kindness, generosity, faith, meekness (non-demanding) temperance (self-discipline).  We hear these valuable characteristics and we should hunger and thirst for there excellence.

CHRIST-LIKE           which are by Jesus Christ,

God’s Spirit states in Romans that no one is righteous, not one. We arrive at this vital conclusion, to make us realize we constantly need our Savior, Jesus Christ who is righteous, perfect, and our only source of righteousness.  He took our unrighteousness and imputed His righteous character to our credits.  Our bankruptcy has been cleared by His love.

Jesus is very clear in John 15 where He says: “without me you can do nothing” We have to abide in Christ, draw our life from Him, depend on Him and relax in Him.

In John 15 we see connection, communion, continuity, and cleansing in Jesus, which results in degrees of Christ-like character, of fruit, more fruit and much fruit.

In this list of petitions we are seeing the simple need of asking for Jesus to live in and through us to thrive and proliferate in His love for us, His love in us and His love through us.  He is attached to us as our vine of connection and lives for us.  The flavor of His character is not something we can produce it’s the result of our attachment to His constant love.  Sitting and relaxing is not that difficult if you have a warm comfortable place to rest in.  We just need to grow in the attractiveness of leaning into the comfort of His love.

COMMENDABLE     unto the glory and praise of God.

The obvious result of what we are relying on for our life is by who is being magnified and enlarged.  John demonstrated his greatness by saying He has to increase and I need to decrease. This is why we plea to God that His love will abound in our life more and more.

 

PRAYERS PETITIONS V.9-11

INSIGHTFUL LIVING V.10

APPROVAL               That ye may approve

ADVISABILITY         things that are excellent;

INDISPUTABLE LEGITIMACY

SINCERE                    that ye may be sincere

SENSITIVE                and without offence till the day of Christ

IMBUED LIGHT V.11

CONTROLLED           Being filled with the fruits of righteousness

CHRIST-LIKE             which are by Jesus Christ,

COMMENDABLE       unto the glory and praise of God.