Hello again and welcome to the program. We're here with a little strength for today. We're in the book of Philippians where it tells us how we can have happiness in spite of the hard times. In Philippians chapter one, verse number nine, we read this, I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment. That is so necessary today. The psalmist prayed in Psalm 119, verse 66, teach me good judgment and knowledge for I have believed thy commandments. Knowledge is the accumulation of information, and in this case we're talking about love, and judgment is the ability to judge correctly concerning love. The Greek word here for love is agape, which means a Christ-like love, and that kind of love will not happen automatically. That is why the commandment to love one another is repeated again and again in the New Testament. In the book of John, we find the phrase love one another three times. It occurs again in Romans 13 and verse number eight. First Peter 1.22 says love one another, And 1st John, it says, love one another five times. In 2nd John 1 and 5, it says, love one another. And 1st Thessalonians 4 and 9, love one another. In Romans 12 and 9, it says, let love be without. dissimulation. Romans 12.10 talks about brotherly love. Galatians 5.22 says the fruit of the Spirit is love. Ephesians 3.19 says know the love of Christ. Ephesians 4.2 forbearing one another in love. Ephesians 5.25 husbands love your wives. Hebrews 10.24 provoke one another unto love. Hebrews 13, 1, let brotherly love continue. And in Titus 2, 4, teach the young women to love their children. Now we need to keep the context here. In Philippians 1 and 9, Paul is talking to a group of Christians that are teachable. Not everybody is teachable. In 2 Corinthians 12, 15, these people were not teachable. Paul said, and I will very gladly spend and be spent for you, though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved. The first thing we need to understand that if we are going to learn what it means to love in a Christ-like love, we need to be teachable. And so Paul is praying that they would approve the things that are excellent. That word approve has been translated discern. Discern what is excellent, what is of high value, that you may be sincere and without offense until the day of Christ. The word sincere only appears twice in the entire Bible. 1 Peter 2 and 2 says as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby. In Acts 17 11, remember Paul commended those that received the word with all readiness of mind and then searched the scriptures to see if these things be so. The only way we can be sure of knowing the truth about the subject of love, or any other subject, is to check it out in the Word of God. Search the Scriptures daily and see if these things be so. And so Paul prayed for four things here. He says in verse 9, this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment, Number two, that ye may approve things that are excellent. Number three, that ye may be sincere without offense until the day of Christ. And number four, being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God. And then in verse 12, he completely changes the subject and says, but I would you should understand. There's something I want you to understand, he said. We'll look at it in our next program, be sure and tune in.