As we grow up into Christ, as the New Testament puts it, we grow in faith, hope, love, and joy. It seems to me the nourishment for this growth comes from the rich soil of God’s great love for us. As our roots sink down into that, we draw all the nourishment we need to produce the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. These fruits grow into plump, delicious aspects of our lives that cannot be nourished without our roots set deep into God’s love. God’s love is most purposefully communicated to us through His Son Jesus. He died for us. What greater love is there? This great love is written down for us in God’s love letter to us, His Word, our Bibles! As we grow to know it better, we will be constantly drawn to the rich depth of love from the sweetest well in the world. It’s the well from which flows the living waters of life.
When Paul writes to the Philippians, he suggests that as our love continues to grow and we grow to appreciate God’s love for us more and more, along with the growth in love comes a growth in knowledge. He writes in chapter 1, verse 9, “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment.” But in Colossians 1:9, Paul makes it clear that the knowledge he’s praying for is an in-depth understanding of God’s Purpose for our lives. He says, “…we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will…”
As we learn more about God and His plan and purpose for our lives and grow in our comprehension of His great love for us, we are moved by the Holy Spirit to let that knowledge control us. I like what Anders said in his commentary on this passage. He writes, “God’s will is not a spiritual Easter egg he hides from us. No, God wants us to know his will, and so clearly reveals that will in his Word.” As I’ve studied the Bible, looking for God’s purpose for my life, I’ve tried to grasp the Biblical mandate for living the Christian life well. It seems that I repeatedly found that it was what Paul prayed for the believers In Philippians 1:9. He wanted love to grow as it is firmly grounded in the knowledge and discernment of God’s love as revealed to us through the person of His Son Jesus and clearly demonstrated on the cross. Romans 5:8 summarizes, “God demonstrated His own love for us in this, while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” As we grow in our knowledge and understanding of the overall message of the Bible as it culminates at the cross, we experience the true fruits of the spirit. Fruit doesn’t appear in a moment. It takes time to grow and ripen. We need to be patient with ourselves and others as we “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 2:18)