'I Thank God for You'
by Anna Kuta
“I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:3-6).
We all know people who are a blessing to us. Whether it’s a family member, your lifelong best friend, a coworker, the sweet lady who sits in the pew behind you every Sunday, or an old friend you can always pick right back up with no matter how many months it’s been, each of us has people in our lives that we are so thankful for.
We get so caught up in day-to-day busyness sometimes that we forget to thank God for all the things He has blessed us with. Instead of focusing on the goodness the Lord has shown us, we complain about the minor thing that goes wrong. Instead of being grateful for the multitude of people who encourage us and make us smile, we get so hung up on the one person who did us wrong that it sours our whole outlook. I’ll be the first to admit I’m guilty of this all too often – especially when it comes to taking for granted all the wonderful people who have impacted my life.
Here at the beginning of his letter to the church at Philippi, Paul presents a great example for us to follow when it comes to the people in our lives who are special to us. “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,” Paul begins. He goes on to tell the recipients of his letter how he prays for them, and then gives an encouraging word about God’s work in them. How often do we take the time to tell people how much they mean to us – especially fellow Christians with whom we share, as Paul says, “fellowship in the gospel”? I know I don’t do that nearly as often as I should. As Paul models here, we should let the people we thank God for know that we do. And what better way to do that than by telling them today?
Intersecting Faith & Life: Right now, thank God for several people you know who are a blessing to you. Ask the Lord to bless them and encourage them – and then take a minute to let them know personally.
Further Reading
Check out fantastic resources on Faith, Family, and Fun at Crosswalk.com!