Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Joy in the Fellowship of the Gospel






Thankfulness and Prayer


I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now,being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace. (Philippians 1:3-7 NKJV)



As I look read this passage I must ask of myself, how much do I rejoice over the good work the Lord is doing in other peoples’ lives? Do I get excited when I have the opportunity to bless someone else? Do I look forward to these opportunities? How thankful am I to God for my church family? How much of my prayer life is dedicated to praying for those diligently serving the Lord, thanking God for all they do?

So much of the time, it is the hard and terrible things which draw our attention. When I know of someone who is sick or hurting, I am quick to pray. When someone is in need of help which I can offer assistance, I give it. The world is full of hurting people. My heart breaks when I see a child suffering from some disease, and that it should. I find joy when I see a criminal taken off the streets by the law, so that we citizens are safer. These are things we all should do.

I do not say to ignore the pain someone is suffering nor care if whether the police make our streets safer, or not. But let’s also rejoice over the good things in life. What a precious thing it is to have fellowship with the saints. Let’s lift up our voice in praise and thanksgiving to our God giving Him thanks for the godly people we are blessed to know. Let’s rejoice in someone else's victories. Let’s lift up our voice in praise when we see a pastor standing firm on the gospel, not compromising for the sake of being politically correct.

Thanksgiving is next week here in the USA. However, be it Thanksgiving, or not, let’s be thankful to God for other believers and their commitment to Christ. Let us all rejoice in the good things in the lives of our brothers and sisters in Christ, and thus, experience the joy of the “Fellowship of the Gospel.”

20 comments:

  1. Hi Ken,
    What a wonderful reminder, to be joyful for others who are blessed. I'm with you that often I am praying for the sick and my prayers and thanks for the blessings or success in the lives of others is not as often as it should be. It is good to keep our mind and prayers well rounded. Thanks for the reminder. :)

    I love the sound of that! The "Fellowship of the Gospel." Sounds so much like an exciting book but it is even better because this book is real and a very exciting ride to be on.

    What a cool picture of the church steeple.

    Blessings,
    <><

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  2. Thank you Child of God. This is something the Lord has been speaking into my heart. You are so right, this is a very exciting ride that we are on. God bless

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  3. I know what you mean Ken, about being quick to pray or otherwise act when a disaster or tragedy hits.
    I appreciate this reminder to share in the good things too!

    By rejoicing with others. and seeing the fruit of the Spirit in their lives and ministries...this gives us hope, and hope helps build our faith, and we all need that, especially to help us cope in the not so good times!
    ~God bless your ministry and I rejoice in the fruit of it!~ Lisa

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  4. Thank you Lisa, and may God also bless your ministry. When I look at the life of the Apostle Paul, he never lets the trials of this life steel his joy in the Lord. We need this joy in the Lord when trouble comes our way. God bless

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  5. It's just common nature to lend a hand and pray for others when they are in need, but what a great reminder to be thankful to God for the very people who honor and praise Him and do good works! The best way to count all of our blessings is to live with a thankful heart in every moment! :)

    Another great post Ken! :)
    Blessings and love,
    Denise

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  6. Ken, thank you for the reminder. Trying to condition myself to remain in prayer as best I can. A great preventitive. Blessings.

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  7. Denise, Very well said indeed. Oh how important it is to at all times live with a thankful heart. Thank you and God bless

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  8. JBR, Prayer and thankfulness are awesome things. Sometimes we try too hard on our end while failing to allow God to work through us, thus giving us the heart to pray. Thank you and God bless

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  9. what a nice reminder to remember to always be thankful. I also always want to pray for the ordinary days of life, when there is no crisis. I treasure all the ordinary days.

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  10. Thank you Peggy for your comment. Always being thankful is a key to a joy filled life. God bless

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  11. I think it would be a better testimony of the joy we have for the Lord in our hearts if we let it show with a smile on our face, :)

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  12. Excellent point Dee. Thank you and God bless

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  13. Beautiful post Ken....it blessed me tonight! And I love that Scripture verse :-)

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  14. Thank you Lori. I am glad your were blessed by this post. God bless

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  15. Thanks for this post Ken! I am blessed. We've seen a lot of tragedy and chaos lately. How good to remember the blessings of others. The strength and courage they show shouldn't be ignored. I am thankful for your work on this blog : )

    God bless!
    Karen

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  16. Thank you Karen for your kind words. Even in the chaos, there are still many things to be thankful in. God bless

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  17. So thankful that Jesus saves and keeps us by His power. Happy Thanksgiving!!

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  18. Karen, Yes! Me too. Happy Thanksgiving to you too. God bless

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  19. Passing by giving out hugs....((((Ken))))

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  20. Thank you JBR. I hope and pray you have a blessed Thanksgiving. God bless

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