Thanksgiving and Prayer

Phillipians 1:1-11
Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus,
to all the holy ones in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi,
with the bishops and deacons:
grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I give thanks to my God at every remembrance of you,
praying always with joy in my every prayer for all of you,
because of your partnership for the Gospel
from the first day until now.
I am confident of this,
that the one who began a good work in you
will continue to complete it
until the day of Christ Jesus.
It is right that I should think this way about all of you,
because I hold you in my heart,
you who are all partners with me in grace,
both in my imprisonment
and in the defense and confirmation of the Gospel.
For God is my witness,
how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
And this is my prayer:
that your love may increase ever more and more
in knowledge and every kind of perception,
to discern what is of value,
so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,
filled with the fruit of righteousness
that comes through Jesus Christ
for the glory and praise of God.

I love the part above that states, "I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it..." This gives me encouragement that if I put my trust in God, He will help me finish the race. I am expected to increase in love and to grow for the glory and praise of God. I cannot live my life with an attitude that says, "I have faith and so I can live my life any way I see fit." I must renew my mind daily to follow Christ in obedience and to share his love with others, even if they reject me. And I must never forget to thank the Lord for his presence in my life...