Observations:
I asked myself what does Paul's prayer consist of?
1. Thanking God every time He remembers the saints.
2. Praying with joy.

3. His mind is not on himself but he puts God first, others second, and himself last.

4. He knows God's promises and stands on them.

5. He always remembers to thank God for the brothers and sisters that he remembers.

6. His prayers are still with joy because of the saints’ partnership in the gospel even though he could be suffering in jail.

7. Paul's attitude is an attitude of thanksgiving for all the good things he remembers but what is most intriguing is his attitude of thanksgiving  amidst all the hardships he is facing in jail!

Implications:
I saw important implications for my own. I need to thank the Lord Jesus not only when I remember all the joyful things to be thankful for but also need to thank the Lord when things don't go my way. It is easy to be thankful and grateful when things go our way but true thanksgiving happens whether things are going my way or not.

HOW GOSPEL GIVES ME TESTIMONY REGARDING T.H.A.N.K.S.
Last Thursday, I told Edwin when I get up each morning, I write down 15 things that I am so thankful and grateful to Jesus for that happened the previous day. What I realized that afternoon was, I never thanked Jesus for things that I saw as 'bad things' that happened to me. It made me sad and Jesus reminded me of 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17: Be joyful always; giving thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus. Pray without ceasing.

Thanksgiving should not be based on the worldly definition of thanksgiving but God's definition of thanksgiving which is giving thanks in all circumstances. This is a radical concept I see Paul applying in his own life. Instead of not being thankful for what happened to him, he is thankful even in chains. Praise the Lord! I want to be that way having an attitude of being thankful always when I remember those that invested in me and also for the times that did not go well in my life. Thank you Jesus.

I ask you now dear friend, what makes you give T.H.A.N.K.S. in life?
Dear friend, if you give thanks to the Lord only when good things happen to you then you are in the same boat that I have been. I don't want that for you and don't want that for me. We lose our joy and an attitude of lack of contentment creeps up when we are not thankful when things are not the way, we want them to be. God knows what He is talking about and when God commands us to 'GIVE THANKS IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES FOR IT IS THE WILL OF GOD, IN CHRIST JESUS', it is for our benefit friend. I know it will be hard but turn to Christ and start having an attitude of thanksgiving at all times. Even when you see areas of your life that are not going well, thank the Lord for those areas because He wants you to thank Him and also I believe our Lord will use that time of thanksgiving to change your life around. Praise the Lord!

From Paul's example we learn even in hardship there are areas we can remember to be thankful for instead of focusing on what we did not get or don't have. I hope you can do that knowing God will bless you for being obedient to His Word. Blessings are not always how we like to think of as blessings but God's ways are way better than ours! Praise the Lord! Thank you Jesus!

When we focus on the negative things we allow the enemy to take control.  Rather than focusing on what is going wrong, thank the Lord for the things that He deserves thanks for which is all circumstances for He has a plan for our lives. No matter how bleak things in our life look, we all have things to be thankful for. Remember, you are special and precious in the Lord's sight. This alone can be something to be thankful for.

Jesus loves you so much and you can have a personal relationship with the Lord. He desires that relationship with you and you will find so much peace in the Lord alone even when things are bleak. Each time you remember a brother or sister, bring them to the Lord in prayer. One of the best ways to protect each other from the enemies reach is praying for each other. God's Word is not just there to be read but applied. Start applying the principles you have learned from this passage. The Lord will start bringing everything into perspective.

Thank the Lord for those whose partnership in the gospel brought you to Christ. Each one of you has a story how you came to Christ. None of us come to Christ on our own, but it is the Lord's choosing whether He uses people or events to do the good work in our life. Think about your conversion experience in Christ and all who were involved if others were involved and thank the Lord Jesus for them!

More than anything we need to be thankful because though we are rotten sinners to the core, God in His love and grace did not abandon us to our own ways but intervened in our lives by sending His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ to redeem us and transform our lives for His honor and glory. Praise the Lord.

No matter where you are or have been, you can be thankful to know that Jesus Christ came for you. It does not matter how filthy our sins have been. It is for the sick that Jesus came and not for the healthy. That means our Lord can take us in the worst of sins and make us saints in Him because He has the power of transformation by His grace. He initiated the process at the Cross of Calvary and has called you to be His very own. Yes, He has. Don't think you are not called or God could never call you because of your life. Friend, if God called Saul of Tarsus who was a murderous fiend killing Christians everywhere and transformed his life to the point that he changed his name to Paul to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ everywhere, don't you think He will abandon you to your own ways? Of course not!
Jesus will reach you where you are friend so come and be covered in the Blood of the Lamb for the remission of your sins. Now is the time of Salvation. Don't wait for some other time. It is appointed to man to die once and then the judgment.

You can come as you are and have Jesus make His presence in your life. Praise the Lord! Even when people feel they don't have anything to be thankful for, there will always be the GREATEST THING TO BE THANKFUL FOR: THE CROSS OF CHRIST and what happened on that OLD RUGGED CROSS for you and me.

May you always remember to be thankful having Almighty's  nurturing kindness!

"Thankfully Having Almighty's Nurturing Kindness Saves!"(T.H.A.N.K.S)/"What makes you give T.H.A.N.K.S. in life?"

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, it is amazing to see the work you have done in Paul's life. Oh Lord, even when Paul was in jail, he is filled with joy and remembers to thank you for those you placed in his life who have been such a blessing  even though he is in jail shackled in chains. Thanks so much Lord for that work you have done in Paul. I want to be thankful to you always having an attitude of THANKSGIVING instead of complaining. Please help me Lord because it's so easy to complain but it takes effort to be thankful and count our blessings at times when we are so preoccupied with things we don't have. I am so sorry Jesus. I want you to transform me and change my life for your honor and glory. I thank you for helping me to be thankful for things that have not gone well for me and through the thanksgiving have found a silver lining. Father God, I pray for the one right now who is really down and does not feel they have anything substantial to be thankful for. Please let them know about yourself Jesus and the Salvation you bring with peace, love, joy, hope, and faith. Touch their hearts Oh Lord and help them to find areas to be thankful for and be joyful in. Thanks so much Jesus! In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Thanks for hearing our prayer and answering! Amen!

May you experience the POWER OF CHRIST'S RESURRECTION this day, and give Him the LOCKED areas of your life too so you can experience His PEACE as you become an ACTOR in the film called LIFE being directed by your DIRECTOR, JESUS CHRIST who comes to give JOY and PEACE.

You don't have to be locked away anymore for Christ is here to free you and give you peace to live out your actions.

How do you look at GODISNOWHERE?

One of my pastors, Pastor Hugo SHARED this example one Sunday at the RESURRECTION DAY SERVICE in the combined worship service of Pittsburgh Chinese Church-Oakland & Oakland International Fellowship:

If you look at it as GOD IS NO WHERE, you will still be lost in your sin and be in bondage locked away in your sins and problems finding no peace.

But  as my pastor spoke to the congregation and spoke to me, I am here to tell you that GOD IS NOW HERE.

Yes, friend God is alive and wants to bring a transformation in your life through the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ for He paid the penalty on the cross to rescue you and me and came back to life to save us and live with us.

Yes, friend that is exciting to know that we can experience HIS SAVING GRACE & LIVING GRACE.

When we mess up, we can go to Jesus with our shortcomings and He will forgive us and RESTORE us to Him and we will find peace in Him.

^"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (Colossians 5:17-21, NIV)

^"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23, NIV)

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:7-9, NIV)

Friend, we need Jesus because we have been separated from God due to our sin. Because of our sin, Jesus had to pay the price to become our bridge so we can reach God now not of our own good works but because of the finished work of Christ, the Lord on the cross.

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV)

Come to Jesus as you are and pray this prayer to accept Jesus as your Lord and Personal Savior. He will transform your life around! Praise the Lord! You don't have to have all the answers! You can come as you are!