One Day at a time, a daily reflection

by surprisedbyjoy@yahoo.com

December 9

Always pray for more love

"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." Philippians 1: 8-11

When in doubt, pray for more love. To love and be loved is a great gift in life. "December is all about gifts. Nothing but gifts…gifts tied with heart strings, that surprise and delight us, that transform the mundane into the miraculous. Gifts that nurture the souls of both the giver and given. Perfect gifts, authentic gifts. The gifts of Spirit." Meister Eckhart, a fourth century Christian mystic used to say, "Be ready at all times for the gifts of God, and always for the new ones." Always pray for more love.

I believe prayer is one of God’s greatest gifts to us. We learn prayer by praying. Sometimes using written prayers that have stood the test of time are enriching. The apostle Paul has written some of the greatest prayers in the Bible. If you enjoy praying this one, consider some of his inspirational prayers written from jail cells (Ephesians 1:17-23; 3: 14-21; Colossians 1:9-14).

Today’s prayer was written to people Paul had known and loved for over ten years. They bravely identified with him through his numerous incarcerations and befriended him. Paul’s "crime" was sharing the Christian faith with others. Paul could have shook his fist at God in anger and despair. But he didn’t. Instead he prayed for more love.

We can never have too much love. Love provides knowledge and insight. Love helps us determine what is best. When love guides our lives, we will be found pure and blameless on the day of Christ’s return. Our love brings glory and praise to God. Love is best. Love is one characteristic of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We are to live with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and

self-control. We live for eternity when we love deeply.

Eugene Peterson translates today’s prayer in this way, "So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush. Live a lover’s life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God."

Prayer: Yes, God, yes. Overflow our hearts with love. Amen.