Expressing Appreciation

Paul names 26 people by name in this passage and alludes to many others. Why has the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to name each person individually? What do these personal greetings add anyway? It’s almost certain that the majority of people named here would have forever remained unknown had he not mentioned them in this letter. Notice how many are women.

What a remarkable attentiveness demonstrated by Paul! He mentions how much he remembers so many of them, who they are and what they have done!

These greetings not only give us a glimpse of his personal qualities but also give evidence of the quality of his character. These qualities are, obviously, an example and an inspiration for all of us.

Have we thought of taking the time as Paul did here to openly care and concern ourselves for others? Think of it, busy as he was, he actually took the time to greet every person that he knew individually!

Paul could have very easily become proud and self-sufficient because of his many accomplishments and impressive works, yet he remained humble and appreciative of what others had done. Never once did Paul look upon himself as being superior to others. He genuinely valued and appreciated each person’s contribution to the work of God. He fully understood that he could not do everything by himself.

We must never lose sight of the fact that we, as the Church, are dependent on one another as we seek to accomplish the work that God has assigned to us! We need to be able to recognize the intrinsic value that each person brings to his work.

May our words, like the example Paul left us, be encouraging, heart-warming and may they have an encouraging effect on all who hear them. Here’s the question: Can I, in my local church setting, identify and kindly express thanks to each one for what they have specifically contributed to God’s work?

Respond in Prayer

Lord, make me attentive to the people that surround me and aware of your work in their lives. Help me to adequately express in a very personal way the appreciation that I have for them. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Donald Tardif