Good morning people who love more and more

Philippians 1:9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight.

Often love to us is a feeling. “I feel like I love them more”. Love is so much more than an emotion and true and lasting love involves thinking intelligently. Notice the wording in this verse; ‘love more and more in knowledge and depth of insight’.

I believe we need to give thought to how we can best love people. If we don’t think, we end up giving people what we think they need. Loving from a place of knowledge meets the other person’s needs and does not simply fulfil our desire to love. Loving with insight relies upon asking questions and learning about the situation. Loving intentionally and intelligently involves meeting needs which takes time and research.

Let me give you a great example of ‘loving more and more in knowledge and depth of insight’.

In Cambodia, a group of young people minister to the children living in the slums. I recently had the privilege of going along with my family. The great people at New Life Fellowship minister with knowledge and insight because they have assessed some of the needs and they are meeting them. They are not simply saying “Jesus loves you” with words but with the actions of giving the children their only shower for the week, cutting their nails and hair, feeding their hungry stomachs and treating their cuts and wounds. As a result of meeting these needs, which has come through knowledge and insight, many children and their parents have come to faith in this God that loves enough to help them and care for them.

In all of our lives, we have opportunities to love more and more in knowledge and depth of insight. I encourage you today to STOP and think about the situations where you are serving others in and ask “Is there a more intelligent way I could love these people?” Let’s be Jesus’ hands and feet as well as His mouth.