Submitted for Approval

Last week I submitted the first draft of my Ministry Project Proposal to my seminary advisor. Eventually, after what will likely be a great deal of editing, those 5,000 words will form the first chapter of my Doctor of Ministry project. This section of my paper took countless hours of research and writing to put together. Outlines, revisions, citations, grammar checks, edits, and more edits were all part of the process before I sent that paper off via email. I even gave it to my wife to read over, and she has an incredible eye for grammar and for detail. However, I am sure of one thing: when I get that paper back, it will be full of red ink.

The reason for that? I’m still growing in my knowledge. I know I will have made formatting errors, and we likely missed a few grammatical issues. But even beyond those mundane problems lies the truth that I am not yet a subject-matter expert. That’s precisely why I have a major professor to guide me in the process of project creation. If my goal is to turn in a flawless research paper for my degree and ultimately be considered an expert, then I need to go through the effort of growth.

While it makes sense that we would work to get better as students, most of us don’t think about becoming better at love. Yet that’s precisely what Paul prays for in Philippians 1:9-11. At the heart of Paul’s prayer is the desire for our continuous growth in love and discernment, rooted in a love of Christ Jesus. So as we approach the weekend, let’s submit that prayer to Christ: may we grow in love so that we can be perfect, submitted to Him for approval.