Thank God for Good Memories {Memorize Philippians 1:3-4}

Think back to a hard time in your life. What do you remember? Who do you remember?

Can you thank God for the people who stood by you?

Memorize This Week

3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,
4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy.
Philippians 1:3-4

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What Do You Remember?

Sometimes we forget the good stuff when it’s surrounded by bad. What we remember is the pain, the betrayal, the heartache.

Paul could have done the same. When Paul and Silas had been in Philippi, this happened to them:

• They were dragged through the streets by slave owners (Acts 16:19).
• They were brought before rulers and judges.
• They were attacked by the crowd, had their clothes torn off, and publicly beaten (Acts 16:22-24).

And after all that, they were thrown into prison with their feet fastened in stocks.

Who would want to remember that? And who could forget?

Yet when Paul was reflecting back to his time in Philippi, he says in this week’s memory verses, he was remembering the Philippian saints there with joy.

Thank God for the Memory

We sometimes only remember the bad parts of past situations. We don’t see anything to be thankful for.

But if we follow the example of Paul this week, we can do this:

Set an intention to remember the good things, the people who were kind to us, and thank not only them, but also thank GOD for them.

Even if we’re in hard circumstances again. (Remember Paul was again a prisoner as he was writing Philippians).

And what happens when we do thank God for those memories?

It will bring us joy. Just like Paul.