If you made a list of the ten people who most impacted your walk with the Lord, whom would you name? Make that list and thank God for bringing them into your life. You can praise God for sending you the people you needed and using them to “increase” your walk with the Lord.

God made us to need one another. Paul was grateful for his brothers in the faith as he watched their growth in their knowledge of God and in their love for one another. Imagine knowing the apostle Paul was thankful for your life!

Some of the most significant people in any church are the people who quietly invest their wisdom in the lives of others. They live their faith as an example and encouragement to their fellow Christians because their faith is living and active. Faith is contagious when lived with fervor and the character of Christ.

Some people have been Christians for a long time while others are new believers. All Christians should have a growing faith and a great capacity to love their brothers and sisters in the Lord. That kind of love marked the individuals for whom Paul offered gratitude to God. 

Spiritual growth and an increasing love for God and others are goals we should all aim at. Those are the qualities we should look for in others, offering thanks for the power of God, who makes growth possible.

If all of us made that list and shared it with one another, we would all be encouraged by the faithful witness of those who were named. We would also be more inclined to follow their wise examples and devotion to the Lord.

As Paul taught, “We ought always to give thanks to God” for our brothers and sisters in the Lord. God knew we needed one another.

Wisdom is offering our gratitude to God. God has given us examples to follow, and God has called us to be an example for others. Begin by gratefully praising God for those on your list, and then pray for the wisdom to live in such a way that others would list your name as someone for whom they praised God.