These posts will always be free, however, if you find them meaningful and would like to consider supporting our online outreach, you can donate using this link.
Scripture:
I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy.
I am happy because you have joined me in spreading the good news from the first day until now. Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.
Consider:
I love Christmas Eve morning. Not the chaos of the kids running down the stairs to see what Santa brought - though those days are coming to end for at least one of my children - but the quiet moments with the tree and a cup of coffee. I always look through the names on each package and give thanks for the blessings of family and friends. I then laugh at the names on the packages which are just made up - it wouldn’t do for them to get too many present from Mom and Dad, so they also get presents from famous people or cartoon characters too. I love the potential of an unwrapped gift.
But, the true blessing of that morning comes in the gratitude and thankfulness which comes after the gift is unwrapped. Until the paper comes off it’s just a pretty box. Once the gift is revealed, it fills us with joy and gratitude beyond measure.
An unspoken compliment is like a wrapped gift that is never given - It holds immense value, but brings no joy to the person it was meant for. Silent appreciation may comfort our own souls, but it does nothing to build up a person or a community.
A community cannot thrive on warm thoughts that never leave our lips.
Scripture reminds us that the power of life and death resides in the tongue (Proverbs 18:21). When we vocalize our gratitude, we actively release life, light, and endurance into someone else’s atmosphere.
However, praise carries its greatest power when it is vocalized and specific.
Generic compliments (“Great job today!”) are polite, but specific encouragement (“I saw how patiently you listened to that family this morning, and your kindness brought so much peace to the room”) anchors the grace in reality. Specific praise communicates something profound: I see you. Your quiet labor matters. God is working through you.
When we give specific praise, we aren’t just complimenting performance; we are validating identity and purpose.
A strong community isn’t built by accident; it is constructed word by word, encouragement by encouragement. Today, let’s move our gratitude out of the quiet corners of our minds and speak it boldly into the room.
Respond:
Identify one person whose presence or effort has blessed you recently. Reach out to them today—via text, a phone call, or face-to-face—and give them one specific reason you appreciate them.
Pray:
Loving Lord,
Forgive me for keeping my gratitude locked inside my own heart. Open my eyes to notice the faithful, often unseen efforts of those around me. Give me the words and the courage to speak specific, life-giving praise today so that our community may be built up in Your love. Amen.
