And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. Philippians 1:9-11

Surpassing love. Spiritual knowledge. Sound judgment.

This is what Paul prayed for. He wanted the Philippians (and us!) to be able to sort through all the issues of life, through the lens of his love, to discover and distinguish what is excellent, to execute life accordingly, and to do so continuously until the end. This way we can’t help being blameless!

We should be conscious as Christians that the world is bound and determined to find dirt on us. Paul wants us to be squeaky clean, i.e. righteous, that the end result–our conduct–will be undeniably attributed to God’s glory, so that only He gets the praise.