Wednesday, 30 November 2016
I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Philippians 1:3
Rather than “every remembrance,” a more proper reading would be “all my remembrance.” It is that of a continuous action. The Philippians were on Paul’s mind at all times, and he was in constant thanks to God as he remembered them. His relationship to God in the Greek reads to Theo mou – “the God of me,” and hence “my God.” The Pulpit Commentary says, “The pronoun expresses the inner consciousness of personal relations with God.”
Paul carried his relationship with God in his mind at all times, personally interacting with Him through thought, and expressing it in his words, actions, and interactions. In the case of those at Philippi, it was in thanks to God for them. As often as they entered into the stream of his thoughts, which was a constant thing, he was grateful to God for them.
Life application: Our relationship with God should be more than just in times of great distress – “Oh God I need You now,” or Sunday morning at church as we sit and listen to a sermon. Rather, He should be our constant companion and confidant. As thoughts enter our minds, we should have reactions to those thoughts streaming to Him. “Lord, thank you for my beautiful wife;” “I am sorry about that thought Lord, it was inappropriate;” “O God, it is such a beautiful day.” Let us have our thoughts tuned into God at each moment so that we share our lives in an intimate way with Him at all times.
Lord God Almighty, You are in all places at all times. And so how can we think we could live our lives apart from You? Help us to not treat You like a “Sunday morning thing,” or the One to call out to only when we need something. Instead, help us to interact with You in our thoughts at all times. When we see a loved one with our eyes, help us to remember to thank You for him or her in our mind. When we think a thought which isn’t so great, help us to confess it immediately to You, knowing that You are there with us in this struggle. Help our lives to be lived, moment by moment, understanding that You are right here with us. Amen.