Praying for your WAX problem!

I don't go to the doctor much. I've been pretty healthy over my 46 years. But 2 or 3 times a year I have to make my way to the doctor's office for one very personal problem. I have a wax problem. I'm not sure why, but my ears produce wax like it's going out of style. If they would produce gold like they produce wax it sure would be nice! So several times a years I need someone withe the letters "M.D." behind their name to clean the wax out of my ears.

The truth is that there are many followers of Jesus who have a different type of wax problem. It isn't with their ears, it is with their heart. In Philippians 1:9-10, Paul prays for believers, that their love would abound more and more in real knowledge and all discernment. The reason for this, in verse 10, is "so that they may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the Day of Christ." The word "approve" means to "analyze." It is actually used in Luke 12:56 to describe someone who analyzed the signs around them in order to predict the weather. The idea is that believers would be able to analyze and discern what is the most excellent way to live as followers of Jesus.

This, according to verse 10, allows us to be "sincere" and "blameless." The word "sincere" means "without wax." When pottery was made, often it would crack under the pressure of the fire. Dishonest merchants would fill the cracks with wax and then sell it as if it were a pure piece, not telling of the cracking that took place in the process. Honest merchants would make you aware of the difference. They would do so by describing the pure and non-cracked pieces of pottery as being "without wax" or "sincere." What a great prayer for us to pray for each other as believers in Jesus. I need to pray for you and you need to pray for me that our hearts would be "without wax," that we we would be sincere, not trying to hide the cracks in our lives and pretend to others that they aren't there.

So maybe we all need to take a trip to the doctor and have our heart checked for wax build-up. To remove this build-up you can't just visit any doctor - you need the Great Physician, Jesus Christ!