Philippians 1:9-11—And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.
A man walked into his garden distressed. As he bent to water his plants he noticed the pathetic condition of the snail-eaten leaves. Beside the plant grew weeds making it hard to discern friend from predator. What an overwhelming battle he thought. What chance has beauty to blossom against the constant threat of bug and weed? Yet as he looked more closely, he observed strong vibrant shoots emerging from weary stems. Then the Lord spoke to him.
Son, those flowers are your church. Your heart empathizes with your brother who carries the weight of trying to grow a ministry. But whose responsibility is it to bring growth? One cannot see My hand at work whose eyes are on defiled leaves, a crafty enemy or clever programs. Mulling over what has not happened yet is as refreshing as eating sand. Solace is never found in counting stems.
I will bring growth in My time because My faithful flowers that root in My soil will be nourished in My strength and will reproduce brilliantly. It is My wisdom that prunes, My love that sustains and My word that provides what is needed. Now go and call your brother and encourage him with this word. And he did.
Spiritual insight is heavenly nectar for the fruit of righteousness comes through Jesus the Champion of love. But holy truth is not wholly true unless we release clinging to clever vines of human platitude and turn off the noise of “if only I . . .” and “I just need . . .” that reveal our lack of trust in Christ.
Today God wants to speak to you. He wants to fill your mind with discernment that will set you on the path of His making. You may be the one He uses to encourage another. Are you listening? Will you bury your agenda to discover His purpose? On this day, who will be your teacher?
Inspiration
