Daily Devotion: Praying for the Church

Scripture:
Ephesians 3: 14-21

Main Verse:
Ephesians 3: 16-17
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

Observation:
Paul was a big fan of prayers. In all his letters, he would include prayers for the churches. He knew how important it is to pray for the church. What did he pray for? He prayed for spiritual strength so that the church at Ephesus may continue to grow in their faith in Christ. He prayed that their Spirit may be empowered. He prayed that they may continue to understand Jesus Christ's great love for everyone. He prayed that they may be filled with "the fullness of God." What a powerful prayer! This prayer made me realize that we have a responsibility as members of our church to pray for each and every member, so that we may all be filled completely by the spirit and wisdom of God.

Application:
As members of a local church, we are to pray for one another and that our prayers should not only focus on the material or physical needs of everyone. What is more important is for us to pray for strengthened faith, an empowered spirit, and a deeper understanding of Christ's love. We must pray for our members to have strong faith in the Lord so that they may learn to pray big prayers and not faithless prayers. We must pray that each and every member may have their spirit strengthened by the Holy Spirit so that Christ may continue to dwell in their hearts. We must pray for each one to fully understand the great love of Christ because in doing so, loving our brothers and sisters in Christ will become second nature to all of us. As Christians, we are in no way perfect. That is why it is important that we pray for one another so that God may continue to work in our lives and change us so that we can all  attain perfection. We will only achieve these when our lives are filled with God's presence.

Prayer:
Father, thank you for showing me the importance of praying for my brothers and sisters in Christ. Forgive me because I have been neglectful in this part of my prayer life. May I be more prayerful, and may my prayers serve a more valuable purpose, that is, for me and my brothers and sisters to continue to have stronger faith and an empowered spirit and be more loving towards one another. AMEN.