Links of Gratitude
Hello Bride of Christ,
As we, here in the USA, come to the end of our Thanksgiving celebration I wanted to share with you all the message the Lord had laid on my heart to share with my family this year. Often the Thanksgiving holiday causes many of us to sit and reflect on what we are thankful for and encourages us to have an attitude of gratitude as we remember the first thanksgiving.
Interestingly enough, Paul in the book of Philippians is writing a thank you note to the Philippian believers. Guess from where Paul is writing this thank you note. Around a turkey and his dinning room table? From his nice wooden desk with a quill feather and parchment? Hardly. Paul was in prison! Prison. Not a place I would think gratitude and grateful attitudes flow freely. However, regardless of circumstance we will see in the first 11 verses of this thank you note Paul manages to share with us four things he is thankful for, so let's read.
Philippians 1:1-11
"Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 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; just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace. For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ, And this I pray that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God."
1. Who I Belong To
Paul starts his thank you note filled with gratitude because of who he belongs to. Paul refers to himself as a bondservant of Jesus Christ. This is no ordinary servant, because a bondservant is one who had paid his debt and had the liberty to become a freeman, but has chosen to stay a servant to their master because they realize they are better off being under their master then living "free" on their own. Paul is declaring he has chosen to serve Jesus Christ, his master. Paul is declaring who he belongs to...he belongs to Jesus Christ... and he is grateful.
Jesus is such a great master. Do you know He has plans for you and when He departed from this earth He left His Holy Spirit to fill you and guide you as a helper? He also is a master that calls you friend?!? Jesus is also a master that declares who He sets free is free indeed! No wonder Paul, although bound by worldly chains, did not feel trapped or in prison to the point of hopelessness, but instead was filled with gratitude because he remembered who he belong to. Who do you belong to? Are you grateful?
2. Who Surrounds Me
Paul continues his thank you note letting the people he is writing to know he is thankful for them. So thankful for them he prays for them and thanks God for them every time they are brought to his remembrance. He is grateful for their fellowship that is based on the gospel of Jesus Christ, who Christ is and what He came to earth to accomplish.
I am so thankful for all the saints the Lord has surrounded my family and me with over the years. They are the ones who celebrate life's joyous occasions with us and grieve with us in life's trying times. Who do you often think of? Who has the Lord allowed to surround you?
3. Who Completes Me
There is a saying that the hardest step with completing an activity is the first one, just getting started. Addressing this concern, Paul reminds the recipients of his letter who starts the work and who completes the work within them. Jesus Christ, Himself, starts the work in a believers life and completes the work, and there is no need to worry about it because Jesus is faithful. What is the natural response to this truth? Thank you, Jesus!
Are you allowing Jesus to work in you?
4. Who Abounds In Me
Love, there is no greater fruit of the spirit. Paul is thankful for love. So thankful for it that he desires it to abound more and more in the people that surround him. He desires for love to be evident in their knowledge, discernment / choices made, in their actions, and fruit of their lives.
As mentioned in a previous post, God is love. Are you allowing Him to abound in you?
Rejoice
May you close out this week or begin your next week reflecting on what it is you are thankful for, and like Paul may you let the people who matter to you know. Whether that is Jesus Himself who you belong to or the friends and family that surround you. Regardless, remember Who you belong to, Who He has surrounded you with, What He has started in you, What He has filled you with.... why? Simply because you are His beloved and He is thankful for you.
