Philippians 1:9 (NIV) And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight.
The Apostle Paul cared deeply for the Philippian church, and he prayed for them to grow in love, which brings knowledge and discernment. When we judge people without attempting to understand them (their pain, experiences, history) then our testimony falls on deaf ears. If we want to understand people from a culture that is different from our own, then we must seek to understand how they think and why they think that way; and then we can begin to understand why they act as they do. We must build a relational bridge that enables honest and transparent conversations so that we can gain understanding, depth of insight, knowledge. Do you know someone who comes from a culture far different from your own? How easy is it for you to love them? Pray for your roots to grow down into God’s love (Eph 3:17) so that you can reflect Christ’s love in a diverse world.