Paul was a thankful man, and he did not fail to show his thankfulness. He was thankful to God for those who were faithful followers of Jesus Christ. Each group of people had a special thankfulness in his heart. He is not praying a general prayer of “thank you God for ….,” but he was specific.
In I Corinthians 1:4-6, he is thankful for the grace of God that was granted to them by Jesus Christ. He acknowledges that their faith has enriched everything about them. In their speech, their knowledge and their testimony. In other words,” they got it!”
I Corinthians 1:4-6 “I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you:”
In Philippi, Paul was thankful for every memory of them. He was making his request with joy, thanking God for their fellowship, and letting them know he is confident they will continue the good work that they started until Jesus returns. What a testimony to them. I would love to have been a part of that church. A church of true joy and one purpose in mind, to work for God!
Philippians 1:3-6 “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”
The Colossian church was not one that Paul established, but he was aware of their faith. Their Pastor, Epaphras, was with him at the time he was writing, and he was conveying their growth, their love for each other, and for Jesus. Paul commends them for their consistency in bearing fruit since the day they were saved. That’s amazing! He reminds them they have a faithful pastor also.
Colossians 1:3-7 “We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints, For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth: As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ;“
In Rome, he was again thankful for their faith. It was a faith that was strong enough to be talked about throughout the world! He reminded them he was praying for them. He commended the Ephesian church and the church at Thessalonica in the same manner.
Romans 1:8-9 “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers;”
Ephesians 1:15-16 “Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;”
I Thessalonians 1:2 “We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers;”
II Thessalonians 1:3 “We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth;”
Paul thanked God for Timothy and Philemon. He was not just thanking God in general, but he was getting personal. He wanted to express his personal love for them, and his gratitude for their faithfulness and love for him.
II Timothy 1:3 “I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day;”
Philemon 1:4-5 “I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers, Hearing of thy love and faith, which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all saints;”
We can learn a great lesson from Paul about thankfulness. He did not cease to be thankful for those that had continued in their faith. He commended them for specific things. He also gave personal thanks to those individuals that pushed forward for the cause of Christ. He did not just tell others of his thankfulness but told those he was speaking about.
We need to also take note that Paul was extremely honest with his remarks. It was not just a formality to tell the churches he was thankful for them. It was real. A good example is his letter to the Galatians. His address to them starts out very differently. He does not say he is thankful for them. He tells them how disappointed he is in them. This gives us insight into Paul’s character. His words were from the heart and to the point. He did not try to “butter them up,” before he expressed his feelings. He was not using words to manipulate but was conveying the truth.
As Fall rolls in, we are getting closer to the season of Thanksgiving. Let us not just use the season to express our thankfulness to others, but let it remind us that this should be an attitude of the heart all year long. First, we need to be specific with our prayers of thanksgiving. Second, we need to express it to others, not just in words, but in deeds. If you’re thankful for grandma, let her know by helping her out. Everyone needs to be appreciated, as much as you need to be thankful for them. I think this is one reason Paul takes time to write Timothy and Philemon a personal letter. Let our thankfulness and gratitude override our personal desires. You are not truly thankful for someone unless you are willing to sacrifice for them.
