Philippians 1:9-11
And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

In his ministry, Paul wanted to see people be saved, for the lost to come to know the Lord and to have a relationship with Him.  And then beyond that, he wanted to see Christians grow.  It wasn’t about becoming content in simply being saved, but continuing to move forward, and he encouraged believers to strive for more in their walk with Christ.  He wrote letters to churches to spur them into reaching their full potential for Jesus’ sake.  He encouraged people to do those things that would be pleasing to God.

There is such a fullness to be found in Christ.  Jesus offers us not a meager life, but an abundant one.  And when we are His, we are to strive for holiness, to be more Christlike, and that is a high calling.  We are to live in such a way that the Spirit of God can produce the fruits of righteousness in us and the kinds of things that bring glory and honor to God.  We are to abound in love.  We continue learning.  We grow until our time here is over.

Because we are to become these beautiful works of God, and when we become who we are supposed to be in Christ, we glorify the Father.  But that takes effort.  It takes dedication.  It takes encouragement from others along the way as we walk this journey of faith together.  It takes submission to the Spirit of God within us who leads and shapes and molds us as we continue to grow.

Let’s not stagnate in our relationship with Jesus.  Let’s allow Him to fill us ever more with His righteousness and to work through us.  May we be willing to strive for more, to strive for the highest, to seek to be holy and to be like Christ.  May our love abound.  May our lives be filled to the brim with the kinds of things that glorify our Father.  May we live by the high and holy standards that match our Lord’s until He completes His work in us.