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I THANK GOD UPON EVERY REMEMBRANCE OF YOU

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

The Philippians Christians are the exemplary community of Christ followers. Paul have many good things to say about them...
Would there only sweet experiences that He have iin Philippi? There may be much more good experiences but I would believe that as a matured person Paul also has learnt to take the lesson from each encounter he has with the believers in the Philippi, the good and the bad. To see all these experiences in the light of God's grace.
How did Paul do it? He didn't explain it in his letter. I believe he did it not only out of courtesy (the Bible only records what's genuine and authentic) nor that he chose to think positively (Norman Vincent Peale's theory of positive thinking in the 20th century was unknown to him).
God didn't put Paul in a perfect 'shalom-community'. Like the community we have, people come with all forms and shapes with their idiosyncrasies (just like us, often not as lovely as we often think), frictions and disappointments are unavoidable.
Paul overcame the challenge, genuinely saying, "I thank God upon every remembrance of you..."
What's in your heart each time you recall a memory of someone in the past... My prayer is that the grace of our Lord that has helped Paul to see each person through the lenses of grace and gratitude will also work in our lives. May the power of the Holy Spirit continue to work in us that we can also recall everyone who has crossed paths with us with thankfulness. ~ plt220914

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