Remember them well

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Living with joy”

Our Bible verse for today: “I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you, always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer …” Philippians 1:3-4 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Remember them well”

I love the way Paul opens this letter of joy that he writes to his friends in the church in Philippi. This is Paul, wearing his pastor hat, expressing his heart for people he cared about very much. So, as he begins this epistle of joy, this letter that is all about joy in Christ, he’s being very transparent and revealing his heart for his people. This right here – the way he felt about these people, what he thought about them and how he prayed for them, was a cause of great joy for Paul. (I can relate. I feel this way about the people of Oak Hill Baptist.)

Paul was thankful that God had put the Philippians in his life. He says that he thanks God for every remembrance of them. He was grateful that God kept bringing them to his mind and every time he thought of them, it brought him joy. Paul was clearly grateful that God had made them a part of his life.

I think this is a crucial attitude for us to maintain as we think about people. We should be thankful for them and we should pray for them. Too often we forget about people altogether (out of sight out of mind), or we focus on the negative instead of the positive. Sadly, sometimes our thoughts about people lean towards what we don’t like about them, or how they annoy us, or ways in which they have failed or don’t measure up. That’s a guaranteed joy-stealer. Thoughts like that will not only cause us to think poorly of them, but thinking like that will also produce an overall sour disposition in us. The Philippians weren’t perfect, but they were good and Paul chose to think well of them.

If we chose to think in positive ways about people; if we remember all that is good and right about them; if we give thanks to God for them in prayer; and if we do it a lot; not only will that change our thinking about them, but it will go a long way towards improving our overall attitude in general. We will be someone whose thoughts are positive and gracious.

So, as he begins this letter about joy in Christ, one of the things that gave Paul great joy, and which created in him a sense of thanksgiving, is the fact that God had made the Philippian Christians a part of his life.

I encourage to look for the good in people and to then pray for them. Negativity is a guaranteed joy-stealer. Positivity is a source of joy. So, remember them well.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

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