11-28-2014

Good Morning All,

          Philippians 1:3; “I thank my God every time I remember you.”

           “Give thanks with a grateful heart; give thanks unto the Holy One.”  Hopefully, yesterday you had some time to think about what you are truly thankful for.  While things and possessions tend to be the focus for many, these tend to be fickle and wax and wane throughout our life.  When we measure success or happiness in what we own or what we do, we soon find that these things possess us.  When this happens, we are no longer happy.  True happiness, true contentment is really only found in our relationships with others.

    Hopefully, yesterday found you being thankful for your spouse, for your children and your parents, for brothers and sisters and for a faith based family of believers with whom you can share God’s grace.  This last group is who Paul was referring to when he wrote our verse for today.  Whenever Paul considered the Christians at Philippi, he would smile and thank God for them.  They were people who prayed for Paul and his ministry, who gave him financial support when he needed it, who lived the life that Paul taught them and did so in an earnest yet humble fashion.  They witnessed their faith to those around them and the church grew while Paul was elsewhere.

    Hopefully, you have family and friends that you are truly thankful for but if that somehow seems lacking from your life, take heart.  This phrase that Paul wrote about his brothers and sisters in faith, Jesus says about you.  I thank God every time I remember you.  Every time Jesus prays for you, as he intercedes for you at the heavenly throne, he remembers you and he thanks God that you are one of his redeemed members.  Jesus is thankful for you and not just one day a year but every minute of every day.  His grace for us tells us this is true.

    So if the struggles of today are really weighing you down.  If the health of a loved one or the seemingly coolness from a loved one or even the death of a loved one leaves you feeling empty and as if there is little if anything to be thankful for you can take heart.  Even in your pain and sorrow, even in your longing for healing you are never alone or abandoned.  Even if the pain of events from the past seem to drag you down into fits of despair; you are not alone or abandoned.  Jesus is thankful for you and he desires to accompany you through ever battle, every pain, through every single hardship we face.

    It is not often that we can take comfort in the fact that someone is thankful for us but we can find complete solace in the truth that Jesus is thankful for us.  Through his death and resurrection we have a victory over death and the devil, freely given to us out of his love because he is thankful for us.  We can all be thankful for our brothers and sisters in Christ because Christ is first thankful for us.  Trust in his mercy to see you through.

Father in heaven, I thank you for the many who see this message and hear your words of comfort in them.  Give to them the certainty of your grace.  Enrich their spirits with your ever abiding peace.  Keep them in your loving arms and give to them the confidence to know that they are your redeemed and beloved.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret