Romans 1:8

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. 

Thankfulness:
30 days of thankfulness, the "theme of the month" - this is a good thing. It's always good to take a step back and count our blessings, appreciating what God has done in our lives. Paul has given us something to be thankful for and we need to take note. Paul is thankful for the Christians in Rome. How often to we thank God for the brothers and sisters in Christ that He has placed in our lives?

It is very easy to underestimate or forget how much of an influence those around us have on how we approach this life. We need to be so thankful for fellow Christians that encourage us in our walk, and it's our responsibility to encourage those around us as well. Hebrews 10:24 says "let us consider how to stir one another up to love and good works"  - a command that we cannot ignore. This requires dying to self daily and focusing on others, an act that is vital to glorifying God.

The Thanksgiving holiday is a good yearly reminder to step back and be thankful, I pray that all of us would take some time and thank God for the Christian influences in our life, and pray for strength and wisdom to lift up and encourage those around us, for His glory!

Prayer:
Paul includes the phrase "through Jesus Christ" in this verse, indicating that Jesus Christ has something to do with his interaction with God. This is an important reminder that the only way we are able to approach the throne room of God in prayer is due to the fact that He sees us as sinless and righteous in His presence, attributes that we have been freely given by Jesus Christ through His sacrifice. It is through Jesus Christ that we approach God.

Faith: 
 "your faith is proclaimed in all the world" - Wow! What a high bar that has been set! These Christians, living in a very corrupt Rome, did not sway according to what was going on around them. They didn't attempt to fit in by allowing worldly influences to erode their faithfulness to God, and as a result they lived in stark contrast to the world around them. Because of this contrast, the faith they lived out was recognized by people around the world, Christians and non-Christians alike. This was an awesome encouragement to fellow Christians, but must have made them an easy target for persecution by the Pagans they interacted with on a daily basis.

God is glorified most when Christians live out a life of faith in the midst of trials and persecution. This allows the power of God to be made manifest. We are, and have been, entering a time in the United States of America where God being pushed aside in an attempt to satisfy a sinful craving for self. Greed and materialism are tools Satan is using to fill this craving, and it as affecting everything around us - schools, jobs, churches. We have an opportunity to live in stark contrast to the world. Pray that God will reveal the schemes of the devil to us so that we will not be swayed, and that our lives, lived in faith, will be a witness of the power of God- to the praise of His glory!