I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, — Philippians 1:3
Paul writes these words from a Roman prison cell. Yet when he thinks about the believers at Philippi, his heart fills with gratitude.
The history of this church was deeply personal to Paul. It was in Philippi that Lydia first believed the Gospel (Acts 16:14). It was there that the Philippian jailer and his household were gloriously saved. Even though Paul suffered persecution and imprisonment in that city, his memories were filled with the evidence of God’s transforming grace.
Every remembrance of them stirred thanksgiving in his heart. Paul saw their lives as evidence that God’s grace was real and powerful.
When we reflect on people whose lives have been changed by Christ, gratitude should naturally follow. Paul recognized that every salvation, every changed life, and every growing believer was the work of God.
Paul writes these words from a Roman prison cell. Yet when he thinks about the believers at Philippi, his heart fills with gratitude.
The history of this church was deeply personal to Paul. It was in Philippi that Lydia first believed the Gospel (Acts 16:14). It was there that the Philippian jailer and his household were gloriously saved. Even though Paul suffered persecution and imprisonment in that city, his memories were filled with the evidence of God’s transforming grace.
Every remembrance of them stirred thanksgiving in his heart. Paul saw their lives as evidence that God’s grace was real and powerful.
When we reflect on people whose lives have been changed by Christ, gratitude should naturally follow. Paul recognized that every salvation, every changed life, and every growing believer was the work of God.