Grow With Pastor Joe

Devotions for the Head the Heart and the Home

Eph. 1:15-16

Read: As we read and study Ephesians, especially Eph. 1:1-14, we are met with the depth, height, and width of what it means to be in Christ. The wealth of the riches of His grace are infinite in Christ. Paul begins in the next section of Eph. 1 to describe how he has been praying for the church and specifically what he was praying for. I believe that Eph. 1:15-16 gives us the “Building Blocks of Prayer.” The way that Paul prays for the church gives us four aspects that our prayer life should have. (1) Faith is the foundation of prayer. Faith is the response and embracement of God’s grace in Christ. It is a total reliance and dependence upon Him. Prayer is the first and greatest expression of genuine faith. Prayer grows faith and faith grows in prayer. (2) Love is the next building block of prayer. We should love the one we pray to and love those who belong to Him. We should love to pray so that we deepen in our vertical relationship with Christ and deepen in our horizontal relationship with the local church. Love drives us to pray with one another and for one another. Prayer expresses faith and love which are hallmarks of a healthy church body. (3) Commitment in prayer is seen in that Paul consistently prays specifically for this church and their needs. Prayer should be consistent as a reflection of the committed relationship that we have with Jesus and His body/bride. Without a commitment to prayer we will be less committed in our daily walk with the Lord and our fellow believers. (4) Gratitude empowers our praying and our faith, love, and commitment to Christ and His church. We should be thankful for prayer and express our thanksgiving to God for who He is. Also, we should be thankful for the work of prayer as others pray for us and we pray for others.

Reflect:  Read Eph. 1 and write down or discuss all the things we have been given in Christ. How do these impact my prayer life?

Rest: Rest your head, heart and home in the wonderful riches of grace, including prayer.

Respond: Begin and end each day praying for and in faith, love, commitment, and gratitude to God and for your local church.