God Speaking

“For this reason, ever since I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you and remembering you in my prayers”

(Ephesians 1: 15 – 16)

We have just celebrated Thanksgiving here in Canada. Families gathered for dinners of roast turkey and pumpkin pie. Stopping to give thanks to our Heavenly Father was the original meaning of this celebration, but too often lots of food and family fun become the main attraction. Many years ago, my husband, who was a dentist, received a letter in the mail form one of his patients at Thanksgiving. His patient was a Christian and he was writing to thank my husband for his kind and careful treatment. He added at the bottom of the letter that this Thanksgiving he was going to remember those people in his life he wanted to thank. My husband and I were very touched by the letter, a good reminder for us to stop and thank people in our lives.

When Paul wrote to the new churches he had helped to begin, he made a point of not only thanking them, but he also thanked God for them;

“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy.” (Philippians 1: 3 – 4)

I was thinking of Paul’s words as I was preparing for this Thanksgiving and was prompted to stop whatever I was doing, and think seriously of all the friends I had and realised I wasn’t thanking Our Heavenly Father for them and then I thought of people that were not actually friends, but who I came across and thought of my husband’s patient. Have I thanked my family Doctor lately?  What about the person who delivers my paper, have I left a note of thanks?  We have a janitor in our building, do I thank him for cleaning so well?

Thanking a friend is a lovely way to cement a friendship, we add so much more to our friendship when we thank God for them, we shower them with his blessings and when we tell them we have just thanked God for them, it adds even more to the blessings. Paul was such an incredible example of how to do this;

“How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you.” (1 Thessalonians 3: 9)

Imagine the glow the Thessalonians felt when this letter was read out aloud to the church of the believers.   Then imagine the glow our friends will feel when we do the same.