Thankful For You

Philippians 1: 3-5, I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.

1 Thessalonians 1:2-3, We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Philemon 1:4-6, I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.

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This morning I was reading Philemon (a very short letter) and the opening remarks caught my attention. As is frequently the case, Paul often opened his letters by letting the recipient(s) know that he prays for them. Several thoughts came to mind as I studied the opening remarks in Paul’s letters, but one in particular really got my attention. 

Paul, in his prayers, is intentional about thanking God for other Christians who were already doing the work they were called to do.

Why did that get my attention? Because when I think about my own prayers, I give thanks for blessings we have received, and for the opportunities I’ve been given to share about God’s love and to encourage others. But, I realized I rarely thanked God for the faithfulness of other Christians. I’ve thanked him for the friendships but not the work they are doing, at least not as often as I should or as Paul lets us know, he gives thanks always, in every prayer.

  Throughout the Bible we see examples of how those who bless others are blessed themselves. What better blessing can we give someone than to thank God for them and the work they are doing. I guess the only other blessing would be to let them know how much you appreciate them as well, which is how Paul opened many of his letters.

In your prayers today, thank God for the work other Christians are doing. Thank him for your church leaders, for your Bible teachers, for your friends who volunteer their time ministering to others, and for those who encourage you in the work you are doing to share God’s love with others.  May God bless you through your efforts to share his love with others.