Word for Wednesday
I thank my God upon every remembrance of you. Philippians 1:3
Memory experts tell us that whenever we hear someone speaking a name, a picture of a person comes into our mind. Unless it is an obscure name that you have never heard before, every name carries with it a memory, and that usually results in the face of a person with whom we associate that name. Give it a try; ask someone to toss a few names at you, and see if the memory experts are correct. Some names will trigger an emotional response because they bring before us a person who was – and maybe still is – very special to us. Other names will cause us to smile, or even laugh, as we are reminded of something pleasant or funny about somebody. And then there are those, like the folks the Apostle Paul is referring to in today’s text, whose names come before us and cause us to be thankful for them.
Looking over your spiritual life, who do you have to be thankful for? Surely the ones who brought you the Gospel and who were used of God in bringing you to conviction and repentance! The memory of these folks is precious. So too is the memory of a brother who God used to provide a word of ministry at a crucial time in your young Christian experience. Where would you have been without that important message? The names of the elders who interviewed you for baptism and Assembly reception are very precious to many, not only for those specific interviews but also for their care and direction in those early days. Thank God for the remembrance of such.
What about the missionaries and the Lord’s servants who we have seen go forth, and have taken an interest in? When their names come up, we bow and give God thanks that they are seeing blessing and God’s guidance. Let’s also not forget the Assembly oversight and the dear sisters in your assembly who are faithful in their care and interest in your spiritual welfare. Keep the list going; I am sure you can think of many others for us to be thankful for as we remember them.
Do you know if anybody gives thanks for you when they remember your name? We ought to live and serve Christ in such a way that our name will prompt thanks to God. -Jim MacIntosh