Thankful For You

I Corinthians 1:4, Philippians 1:3, II Timothy 1:3, Philemon 4

I woke up this morning and the first thought that came to mind was that it is Wednesday and I had not written my devotion for this morning. Yesterday turned into a busy day, but it was a good busy. As I got up and began thinking about what to write, I thought about a summary of my message from last night. Then, my mind wandered to the events of yesterday. I got to spend a lot of time talking to my church family and as I thought of these conversations, the following passages came to mind.

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I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus,

I Corinthians 1:4

I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,

Philippians 1:3

I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day,

II Timothy 1:3

I thank my God, making mention of you always in my prayers

Philemon 4

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As some people have been surprised to learn this year, I am an introvert. I am quite capable of talking to people, but it is not my natural compulsion to do so. There have been many times that I have been in a room full of people and stood off to the side by myself. I wasn’t miserable, I was just content to be a bystander. Yesterday was not one of those days though. I spoke on the phone with one of our church members, stood around in another man’s yard with him and his neighbor (also a church member), and after church a group of 9 stood around and shared stories for a long while. It was just a good day of spending time with people.

As I thought back on all of this, I couldn’t help but feel thankful for these people in my life. I am thankful for my church. I understand why the Apostle Paul wrote these verses. As he traveled to different cities, he didn’t just preach to people. He got involved in their lives. There were conversations sure, but there was also care. Friendships were built and cultivated. Sure, there was conflict, but Paul always sought to settle the conflict with Biblical wisdom and prayer. All of this added to the investment he had in each of these people.

I know a lot of people that “go to church” but it is so much better to be the church. That involves more than going to a service, singing some songs, and listening to a message. All of that is important, but those people are missing out on so much! Yes, when you get involved in people’s lives, there is going to be hurt and disappointment. There is going to be conflict. What I have learned through the years is that those things are going to happen anyway. Why not learn to deal with disappointment and disagreement within the institution that God designed for us, His church?

Growing up the son of Tommy and Jeanette Ray, we had to deal with something really frustrating. It was almost a guarantee that once church ended, we were going to stand around for a minimum of an hour talking after service. There were many nights that it was almost midnight getting home. While I did not appreciate it then, I am thankful that they were demonstrating to me what it is to love your church family and enjoy spending time with them. Now, I am sure there are times I walk away from a conversation and people say, “Man the preacher sure can talk”. I got it honest.

Father, thank you for giving us the church. May we glorify You by loving one another. Help us to seek unity in You. May we enjoy spending time with each other and increase our love for each other. Teach us to be thankful for those who are our brothers and sisters in Your Son, and to be sure that we express that gratitude often in our prayers.