Love or Logic?

S - Philippians 1:9-11 (NIV): "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."

O - In this prayer abounding love is connected to knowledge and depth of insight unto very precise discernment.  Do we usually associate love with insight and pristine vision?  I think not.  In fact, our world (religious and secular) most often considers love to be a negative to clear vision, that which blurs and warps the way things really are or should be.  Here the Scriptures present just the opposite reality.  Love is the essential to depth of insight, discernment unto that which is best and that which will bring genuine praise to God.  Humans think that logic is to lead the list and Jesus makes it clear that love must lead the list.  The world is okay with love being on the list but not leading it.  The kingdom insists that love lead the list … the superlatives, love does no wrong to its neighbor, love fulfills the law and the prophets, love is the greatest of the ever abiding three (faith, hope, love).  Logic led the way for Eve in the garden and for the Sanhedrin in their deliberations. Logic brought about the fall of our race and the crucifixion of Jesus.  Love would have kept us from falling and eliminated the need for Jesus to die.  Love redeemed the tragedy and brutality of our logic and opened up the way for adoption for all.  If love is not leading the way then ultimately the way is lost.

A - Logic which enables real life and God's praise flows from and follows behind love.  Scripture says that we know and RELY on the love God has for us.  If I am not relying on this love, my logic will derail what God has planned, desires and invites me to.  Like every day, my assignment in this day is the Superlatives above all else.  Love, not logic, carries the day.  Love, not logic, leads the way.  God is love.

P - God who is love,
Thank you for this prayer which you included in Paul's life and in the written voice of your communication with us.  Thank you for letting me see this and embrace this and believe that you will help me to live this out loud.  Thank you for letting me love you back and for allowing my loving you back to actually matter to you.  Lord, I am prone to the miscue of logic over love.  Please enable me to the beauty of love setting the context and always leading the way.  Wow, your loving kindness is better than life (human).  Thank you for being real life, vibrant, irrepressible, eternal.  Cause your life to come into me and to flow out of me and let my love abound more and more.
I love you back,
Steve