Philippians 1:3-5  NIV “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,”

It seems a bit of hyperbole for Paul to say he was thankful every time he thought about the church at Philippi. When he first preached in Philippi he was beaten and thrown in jail (Acts 16) so surely he wasn’t thankful when he remembered that! But it was also in Philippi that an earthquake miraculously freed Paul and Silas from that jail, and their jailer and his family were saved as a result. The church at Philippi continued to support Paul and his ministry, and it appears in his letter to them, that he had a lot to be thankful for.

In hind sight I, like Paul, can be thankful for even the difficult times in my life, because I can see how God has used them to shape me and to further His kingdom. The difficult thing is to be thankful and full of joy when we are going through the difficult times (like Paul in Acts 16:25).

Lord, help to be thankful, every time!

-Kevi

 

To manage your subscription to the Daily Devotionals click here.