19th November 2024
I give thanks
…I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
Philippians 1:6 (NLT)
It is disheartening to have worked on a jigsaw puzzle for days only to find it in a pile on the floor the next morning. We have cats – need I say more. I do not give up though; I just scoop up what I can and start putting it back together again. When we finally finish the puzzle we rejoice, even if some of the pieces are missing, which quite often they are. Sometimes our lives feel like that puzzle, all mixed up and in a pile on the floor. It seems like quite a chore to get ourselves back into working order. We do not have to do this alone, and for that I am thankful. We have a God who is working right beside us, helping to pick up the pieces and put them back where they belong.
Paul spoke of the partnership we have with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. And despite his own chains and imprisonment, Paul still worked to support and encourage them in the process of becoming one in Jesus. Like putting a puzzle together, it takes time, patience, and dedication, and yes, sometimes crawling around the floor on our hands and knees looking for the missing pieces. We can give thanks to God for his dedication to us. He will finish the work he has begun in us, as he finished the work he began while here on earth as a human (John 19:30). We all share in the grace of God together because of God’s faithfulness to us, and through the gift of the Holy Spirit, for this I am grateful, and I give him thanks (Philippians 1:7).
Even though Paul was in prison, he was thankful for all he had, and he was thankful for the fellow believers in Christ. He had Christ, and he had enough, but he did not want to keep Jesus all to himself, he wanted everyone to receive Jesus Christ into their lives. So, he was grateful that the gospel was being preached in so many ways; some becoming possible only because he was in prison (Philippians 1:12-18). Sometimes our opportunities come because of our trials, and we are now able to reach people with the faith we have in Jesus, people we may not have met any other way. We have so much to be thankful for.
This is my prayer for you:
Prayer
I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation-the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ-for this will bring much glory and praise to God. (1) I give thanks for his work for you. Thank you Father for making all this possible! In Jesus’s name, Amen.
1 Philippians 1:9-11
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Study by: Anne Gillam About the author: |
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