“Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all of the saints, Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers” (Ephesians 1:15-16).

Paul writes to the church at Ephesus and shares with them the joy and gladness he has when he hears of their faith in the Lord Jesus and their love for each other. He goes on to tell them that he always was remembering them in his prayers. He thanks the Lord for them and lets them know about it. Carl was sharing with his wife how very much he appreciated their pastor. Setting his coffee cup down on the table and enjoying the scrambled eggs his wife had fixed, he chatted with her about their new pastor. “He’s a fine man. I am so glad that the Lord brought him to our church. He’s only been here several months, and yet I’ve learned so many new things about the Scriptures. I surely am glad God sent him here,” he remarked. His wife looked up at him nodding her head in approval as she said, “You know, Honey, it is great that you are thankful for our pastor and that you’ve shared it with me. I suspect you ought to be thanking our pastor and letting him know.” Carl thought of that throughout breakfast, and as soon as his devotions were completed, he pulled out a thank you card and began to write to his new pastor, sharing with him how much he appreciated him. Have you ever sent a thank you card to your pastor? As Paul was thankful for the Ephesian local church, it is also great when the local church thanks the Lord and shares this with their spiritual leaders.

For today: Don’t let your thankfulness be a secret!