Through The Bible in a Year - October 26, 2026

“And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment.” -Philippians 1:9

Paul's prayer is not simply for more love in a vague, sentimental sense. He wants love that keeps increasing — the verb suggests an ongoing, ever-growing abundance — but he pairs it deliberately with knowledge and discernment. Real love for a person requires knowing who they are and what pleases them; the same is true in our love for God.

Knowledge alone is not enough. Paul distinguishes it from discernment: knowledge is acquiring information about God and His Word; discernment is knowing how to use that information well, in the actual textures of daily decisions. It is possible, sadly common even, to accumulate knowledge about God that swells the head without softening the heart — to know a great deal and still lack gentleness, patience, or self-control.

The goal of this abounding, discerning love is not information for its own sake, but a love that actually shapes choices, behaviors, and attitudes. It’s the kind of love that helps someone recognize, in a real moment of decision or relational tension, what genuinely pleases God rather than merely informing our minds what is permissible.

RESPOND: Would you describe your walk with God as stronger in Bible knowledge or in godly discernment — and, if there is an imbalance, how does Christ’s love guide you into what honors Him?

Recall a recent decision. How did loving discernment guide your knowledge of Scripture into actions or attitudes that pleased God? Consider honing this discernment this week by wedding one act of learning (reading, studying) with one deliberate act of discernment — applying Christ’s love to a real choice in front of you.

PRAYER: Father, I don't want knowledge that swells my head without softening my heart. Grow my love for You so that it abounds more and more, joining the knowledge of Scripture to real discernment for the choices in front of me. Teach me not just to know You, but to please You by expressing the heart of Jesus as I consider the truths of Your Word. In Jesus' name, amen.