Why Do People Thank God for You?

Has anyone ever said to you "I thank God for you..."? If so, what about you were they thanking God for? Perhaps your help in something, or your ongoing presence in their life, or for a gift you gave them?

It's nice when people say kind things like that to recognize and call out something good they see in us.

In New Testament culture, letters followed a common formula (much like formal letters today have a common formula). An ancient letter would begin with identifying the writer (e.g. "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ..."), then the recipient (e.g. "to the church of God in Corinth...), then a blessing (e.g. "grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ..."), and then a prayer of thanks.

This formula is used in almost all the New Testament epistles, which means that most of the letters begin with a word of thanks for the recipients in some way. And the interesting thing is that in Paul's letters, he called out and gave thanks for certain things over and over again.

Here's a brief overview of a few of Paul's epistles:

The church in Rome:

“First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world."

~ Romans 1:8

The church in Ephesus:

“Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere, I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly

~ Ephesians 1:15-16

The church in Colossae:

“We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God’s people, which come from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven.

~ Colossians 1:3-5

The church in Thessalonica:

“Dear brothers and sisters, we can’t help but thank God for you, because your faith is flourishing and your love for one another is growing."

~ 2 Thessalonians 1:3

To Philemon, in Colossae:

“I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints…"

~ Philemon 4-5

I'm sure you get the picture. Paul loved seeing, calling out, and thanking God for vibrant faith and growing love in the churches he planted. There were other things for which he gave thanks (e.g. hope, support, holiness) but faith and love are by far the two most repeated qualities that brought joy to Paul's heart when he saw them at work in local churches.

Which means, of course, that two of the most important marks of a healthy church (and a healthy follower of Jesus) are... a vibrant faith in God and a growing love for God and others.

PAUSE and REFLECT

So let's stop there and reflect for a moment. If Paul were to write a letter to your church, what would he give thanks for? What if he wrote a letter to you personally? How would he end this statement, "I thank my God when I remember you in my prayers, because..."?

Perhaps, given the prominence of his gratitude for faith and love, would he be able to see these qualities at work in our communities and individual lives? What evidence would point him to this conclusion?

I invite you to take a moment and ask God to deepen your faith in him and your love for him and others. I also invite you to follow in the footsteps of Paul and look for where you see a vibrant faith and growing love at work in the lives of others, and thank God for that - maybe even send them a note to tell them!

We all want to be spiritually healthy. So if faith and love are two marks of a spiritually healthy church and life, let us seek to have these two qualities planted, watered, and blooming in our heart.