Discern – Three Minute Bible

May 14, 2025May 14, 2025

Philippians 1:9 – Godly Love

Picture of a large red heart overflowing with hundreds of little hearts (Grok)

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight …

Summary: Paul’s prayer is an interesting one. We don’t normally associate love with knowledge and insight.

Have you ever wondered what Paul prayed about? Today’s passage gives us the answer.

Paul isn’t asking for the Philippians to have love or to be able to love; they already have that. He is specifically asking that the love they already have multiplies and grows “more and more” in two specific ways: in knowledge and “depth of insight.”

June 27, 2023June 27, 2023

Ephesians 4:13b – Equipped for Jesus

… the knowledge of the Son of God

Summary: Paul’s word for “knowledge” leads us to a deeper understanding of what it means to know Christ and how that affects us.

March 12, 2020March 12, 2020

James 3: 16-18 – Discernment

Picture of a small boy sticking out his tongue

For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

At the end of my post yesterday I asked this question: “Why is it good to be able to discern who is wise among a group of believers?”

In James’ letter, he tells us about the dangers of the tongue and the importance of taming it. I agree, and I agree that I need to tame mine first. Yet where the tongue is not reined in, James warns that it can ignite a great forest fire. It can corrupt the whole body. If it can corrupt an individual’s body can it also corrupt the church body?