ABOUNDING LOVE

Philippians 1:9-11 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; that ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

The word "abound" carries the meaning of being plentiful, teeming, and fruitful. It means to exist in large numbers and amounts, to have much, or to be filled. Paul's prayer for the Philippians was that their love would abound to this extent; that their lives would be filled, even consumed, with abounding love. The words of this text told them, and tell us today, toward whom and what, one's love is to abound. Abounding love is the core feature of God's kingdom. The growth of the church of Christ cannot be sustained without it; neither can its boundaries be contained, when it exists to the degree the lesson text teaches. His body, the church, can and should, spread God's plan of salvation to every receptive heart that it can possibly reach. This is the message Jesus taught in this parable: The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened (Matt. 13:33b).

To whom is this abounding love to be extended? Without limit, it is to be demonstrated by every Christian to God, as our creator and giver of life on earth; to God as our heavenly Father and giver of eternal life. It is to be given freely to our families, friends, fellow Christians, and to all people of the world. As identified in the following passage, we are to express abounding love to our neighbors. Our Savior, Jesus Christ, taught us this in no uncertain terms. In Matthew 22:36-40 Jesus related this question posed to Him by a Jewish lawyer (which Mark refers to as one of the scribes), followed by His answer. Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. This, my friends, is abounding love. To love with all your heart, soul, and mind, is abounding love. To love another as you love yourself; that, also, is abounding love.

As we examine the abounding love that every Christians is to have, consider Paul's letter to the church at Corinth. He said to them, Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also (2 Cor. 8:7). Referring to the preceding verses in Chapter 8, we find the grace Paul refers to is that of giving. Citing the churches of Macedonia as an example, Paul says even though they, themselves, were persecuted and poor, yet they realized others were worse off, more afflicted, and in greater need. The Christians of Macedonia, Paul said, abounded in their liberality toward those in need. They were successful in this act of love, because they first gave their own selves to the Lord. Giving to the Lord always results in giving to your fellow man, just as one's love of God results in love for all others.

Notice how Paul's letters to the church at Thessalonica establish the wonderful Christian characteristic of abounding in love. And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: to the end He may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints (1 Thess. 3:12-13).Aso Paul told them,Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more (1 Thess. 4:1). Finally, he wrote,We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth (2 Thess. 1:3).

Abounding love is an excellent trait that every Christian should demonstrated in their lives. Abounding in the knowledge of God's will results in abounding in godly judgment and wisdom, which in turn brings the dispensation of abounding love toward mankind. This was Paul's prayer for the Christians at Philippi and it is the prayer of God, through His Son, Jesus Christ for all today. Let your love abound!