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"I thank my God..."

Text: Philippians 1:3

A MAN OF PRAYER

We have so much to learn from the apostle Paul. One of the most outstanding features of his life was his prayerfulness.

“I thank my God upon every remembrance of you.”
Philippians 1:3

1. “I thank my God”

a) The grammar of this text suggests the following:-

i) The giving of thanks was not done because it was a polite thing to do.

ii) It was not a “one-off” thing either.

iii) Constant thanksgiving is in mind here.

b) The spirit of thanksgiving is to be noted.

i) It reflects the spirit of the writer.

ii) His heart was full of gratitude that expresses itself in thanksgiving.

iii) It reflects a heart that is warm and gracious.

iv) It reflects great spiritual maturity for it is not easy to adopt this spirit of thanksgiving.

c) How did this spirit of thanksgiving come about?

i) Paul must have developed this spirit of thanksgiving over time.

ii) It reflects a strong spirit of joy, a wonderful fruit of the Spirit.

iii) He well reflects the spirit of the ancient psalmists (Psalm 145).

2. “Upon every remembrance of you”

a) Paul sustained a strong and happy relationship with the Philippians.

b) He took time to reflect and remember his friendship with the church at Philippi.

c) He allowed the many happy memories to fill his heart and mind till they express themselves in thanksgiving prayer.

A CHALLENGE TO CULTIVATE A SPIRIT OF THANKSGIVING

Let us be challenged to cultivate a strong spirit of thanksgiving in prayer. Let us emulate the excellent example of the apostle Paul. Let us never take for granted the state of our spiritual life.

1. Let us seek to deepen our prayer life overall.

2. Let us especially cultivate a strong spirit of thanksgiving in prayer.

3. Let us make the giving of thanks a very strong feature in our prayer-life.