I Thank God for You – Week of May 30, 2016

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel 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.
Philippians 1:3-6


ECME Devotion – May 30, 2016

Devotion based on Philippians 1:3-6

See series: ECME Devotions

Thank you notes. Such a simple gesture. You have likely gotten a variety of thank you notes. There are the ones from your students that are handmade and full of their love for you. You may get notes this time of year from parents that express their gratitude for your loving attention to their child. You might be working with your students on thank you notes to send to volunteers and others who have contributed in some way to their classroom this year. While it may be simple, a thank you note can encourage and touch the hearts of the recipient.

As the year draws to a close, we often reflect on the children and families we serve. We thank God for the opportunity and privilege to partner with parents and to share the gospel with the children and their families. We thank God for the blessings of relationships built and strengthened this year. Among those relationships may be those with whom we serve. Philippians 1 is a wonderful reminder for us to also take the time to stop and thank God for those with whom we serve. Those individuals may be in our classrooms and centers, at our own congregation, at a neighboring congregation, in our district, or in a congregation we don’t even know. You may serve in a center with just you or in a center with a number of staff members. You may have another center nearby or maybe the nearest center is hours away. But in each of those centers are people like you whose goal is to share the precious gospel with young children and their families. What a blessing! Today’s verses remind us of the fellowship we share with others who serve as teachers, directors, aides, and volunteers in early childhood ministries each day. The verses also provide the comfort and encouragement that we can be confident as this year draws to a close and each day that God is the one to carry our work on to completion. It is he who blesses all we do.

So today we send a thank you note of prayer. It is simple, it is sincere, and it is full of joy. We thank God for the privilege of serving, for those we are blessed to serve, and for those with whom we serve. Today I send a thank you note of prayer to God for each of you and pray that he continues to bless his work through you.

Prayer: Dearest Lord, I thank you for the privilege of sharing your gospel each day. I thank you also for all those who serve in the preaching and teaching ministry. Bless them, guide them, strengthen them, and give them the joy and confidence that it is you who blesses all that they do. In your name we pray, Amen.

Early Childhood Ministry Educator’s (ECME) Devotions are brought to you by WELS Commission on Lutheran Schools.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
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