Tag Archive for: Philippians 1:9-10

Let Go of What Can’t Love You

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Philippians 1:9-10 — I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return.

I read something this week that made me go, “Huh?”

So, there was a study out of Arizona State University that looked at something called “material possession love.” They interviewed people about their favorite cars, computers, bicycles—even collectibles—and discovered that some weren’t just enjoying their stuff.

They were actually emotionally attached to it—giving it more time, attention, and affection than actual human beings. And honestly, I think that tracks, because we live in a world where people make a big deal out of stuff.

Your sneakers, your cars, your brand—none of those things are bad. But here’s the quiet danger. Possessions never talk back. They never disappoint you. They don’t require forgiveness. They don’t challenge you. They just… sit there and make you feel in control.

And that’s exactly why they’re so easy to love more than the things that actually matter.

In the Bible, when Solomon looked at everything he had built and accumulated (and he was the wisest and richest man that ever lived) he called it meaningless… a chasing after the wind.

Because stuff can be impressive, but it can’t love you back. Your phone won’t pray for you. Your car won’t sit with you when your heart is breaking. Only people can do that.

And more importantly, only God can. He can fill those deep places in your soul that keep reaching for something more.

Because nothing in this world—no possession, status, or achievement—was ever designed to carry the weight of your heart.

So, this is my hope…that your love would overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in the good stuff. Live for the things that really matter so you can live wisely until Jesus comes back.

You were never meant to love things more than people, or anything more than the God who loved you first. Today there’s an invitation to loosen your grip on what can’t love you back, and to turn your heart toward the One who can. Let your love land where it was always meant to—on people and on the God who loved you first.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • What things in your life tend to receive more of your attention and affection than your relationships with God or people?
  • Have you ever looked to possessions, success, or status to fill a deeper need in your heart?
  • According to Philippians 1:9-10, what does it mean to “understand what really matters”?
  • In what ways can your love “overflow more and more” toward the people around you this week?
  • What is one practical way you can loosen your grip on material things and invest more deeply in eternal things today?
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One Plate at a Time

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Philippians 1:9-10 — I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return.

My favorite cook was Effie Mae Prewitt. She was my mom’s mom. We called her Ma-mae.

I can still see her standing at the stove in her kitchen — that worn skillet and the smell of butter melting before sunrise. She would hum some tune from church and was never in a hurry.

Her pancakes were perfection on a plate. Soft. Golden. Warm. I remember begging to spend Friday nights at her house, just so I could wake up to those pancakes and Saturday morning cartoons. That was better than a trip to Disney World.

I’d sit at her kitchen table, legs swinging, while she slid a fresh stack onto my plate. She would ask simple questions — how I was doing, if I’d slept well, if I wanted more syrup — and she’d listen like every word mattered.

Back then, I didn’t know she was teaching me something more important than a recipe. She was showing me what love looks like when it’s served hot off the griddle.

Now she’s gone. The kitchen’s quiet, and there’s no one to ask, “What are you cooking?” I miss her hands — always doing something kind for someone else.

When I think back on memories of her, I just think about the gospel. You know? In its simplest form — feeding the hungry, comforting the lonely, loving people. That’s what life is all about right?

I want the love I share to overflow the same way Ma-mae’s pancakes overflowed with warmth and care.

Philippians 1:9-10 comes to mind: “I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return.”

So, how about you? It’s in those small, daily acts that Jesus’s love becomes visible through us. No matter how simple, I believe that whatever you do in love will warm hearts and change lives.

After all, that’s how Ma-mae did it — one plate at a time.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • How can small, everyday acts of love make a difference in someone’s life?
  • In what ways can you grow in understanding what truly matters?
  • Who in your life models the kind of love Paul describes in Philippians 1:9-10, and how can you follow their example?
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