Philippians 1:9-11
9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
In these verses Paul offers a short prayer that contains some keys to our recovery. Note how the prayer to "be pure and blameless" immediately follows the goal to "approve what is excellent" (verse 10). We make a mistake if we focus our efforts for purity on simply avoiding sin. Purity is not simply the absence of sin, but is the presence of something good. If we focus on avoiding sin, we end up dwelling on the sin aspect rather than on the fruit of purity. That is why we need "all discernment", to combine love and knowledge (verse 9) in focusing on the good. This will align our thinking with the good, and will build a love for good things like purity.
God, thank you for the beautiful gift of purity. Help me to see and appreciate the good in Your kingdom, that I may become pure.
9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
In these verses Paul offers a short prayer that contains some keys to our recovery. Note how the prayer to "be pure and blameless" immediately follows the goal to "approve what is excellent" (verse 10). We make a mistake if we focus our efforts for purity on simply avoiding sin. Purity is not simply the absence of sin, but is the presence of something good. If we focus on avoiding sin, we end up dwelling on the sin aspect rather than on the fruit of purity. That is why we need "all discernment", to combine love and knowledge (verse 9) in focusing on the good. This will align our thinking with the good, and will build a love for good things like purity.
God, thank you for the beautiful gift of purity. Help me to see and appreciate the good in Your kingdom, that I may become pure.