do not cease giving thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers:
Truth to Learn
Thanksgiving is an important part of the Christian life.
Behind the Words
“Cease” is from the Greek word pauō, meaning “to stop” or “to pause.” It is expressed here in the middle voice (action done by the subject to the subject), so the meaning is “to stop myself.”
The words “giving thanks” are translated from the Greek verb eucharisteō, which is made up of eu, meaning “good” or “well” and a form of charidzomai, meaning “to grant a favor.” Eucharisteō carries the meaning “to be thankful or grateful.”
“Making” is from the verb poieō, which means “to make” or “to do.” It is expressed here as a present participle in the middle voice. So, it literally means “making myself.”
The word “mention” is from the noun mneia, which is from the verb mnaomai, meaning “to remember.” Thus, mneia refers to “a remembrance” or “a recollection.”
“Prayers” is from proseuchē, which is made up of pros, meaning “to or toward” and a form of euchomai, meaning “to make a wish.” Proseuchē, therefore, is a wish or a desire expressed toward God.
Meaning Explained
In order to get the full impact from today’s verse we must combine it with the previous verse:
Because of this, I also, having heard of the faith of those among you in the Lord Jesus, which you show toward all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you, making remembrance of you in my prayers.
As we saw in the previous verse, the church in Ephesus continued to grow, demonstrating their faith to all Christians. This so pleased the Apostle Paul that he continually gave thanks to God for the believers in the Ephesian church.
Paul here demonstrates that he practices what he preaches. He told the church at Thessalonica:
pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1Thessalonians 5:17-18)
Prayer is a critically important part of our relationship with God. In the New Testament alone, prayer is mentioned more than 130 times. Jesus mentions it more than fifty times and Paul mentions it more than forty times. Jesus is said to be praying about fifteen times and Paul mentions himself praying about fifteen times as well. If it was that important to them, it should be just as important to us.
Application
Many Christians think of prayer as asking God for something. Indeed, we are told to make our requests known to God, but we are also told to thank Him. In fact, giving thanks is mentioned about fifty times in the New Testament. It is far more important than asking for something. Giving thanks demonstrates your recognition that God has already done something for you. It is an active indication of the strength of your faith. How many times have you prayed to God for something and then forgot to thank Him when He answered your prayer? Let’s take some time right now to thank God for what He has already done!
Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved
