“I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace. For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ. And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.” – Philippians 1:3-11 KJV

Indeed, the affection that Paul had had for the Philippians was nothing short of remarkable. He had no ill feelings towards them, but always remembered them in such a way as to bring about feelings of joy within his heart. And thus he was able to find peace where despair tends to show its ugliness, that is, during times of hardship. It would be a wonderful thing to walk into a church and receive such affection from all of God’s children. If every member of the body of Christ would create and hold fast to such memories we would truly be one in Christ, fulfilling the prayer of Jesus who had said, “Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.” (John 17:11 KJV)

What makes this thought so powerful is not merely the fact that Paul had fostered good memories as such, but that he was filled with joy while he was in chains as a result of reflecting on the good rather than the bad. Could you imagine that; being joyful while being in chains? This brings us to the heart of a very important lesson: by remembering the good things that God has brought into our lives we can find good reason to be joyful, no matter where we are in life or what our circumstances might be. Sure, Paul could have thought about how badly he was treated in that he was put in chains for preaching the gospel–for doing something good for others. He could have even assumed that it wasn’t fair for God to allow him to go through such a thing. After all, this is the course that people often take when they are thrust into trying experiences, that is, they become angry with God and tend to question His love for them. But Paul didn’t do that at all. Instead, he thought about the positive experiences that he had enjoyed while being among God’s people. In this way Paul acknowledged the presence of God in His life, and was thereby comforted.

What kind of memories are you creating for others? What do you think about most, your problems or your blessings? Do you give the people that you associate with good reason to be joyful when they think about you? Do you manifest the affection of Jesus Christ towards others? These questions are important because they help us to see where we’re really at in our relationship with Jesus Christ. In other words, they help us to see how much of His love we’ve actually embraced.

Perhaps you haven’t been living up to God’s expectations when it comes to sharing the affection of Jesus Christ with others. You might have even hurt some people along the way. Well, don’t be discouraged; for He who has begun a good work in you will complete it. Jesus hasn’t given up on you. And that should be good news to you, because it means you have an opportunity right now to create good memories in Christ. Not only for others, but for yourself too, as you find joy in reflecting on His goodness, and by entering into fellowship with His people. By taking this path you will find good reason to smile, no matter where you end up in life.