Saturday 9 Feb 2013

Saturday Reading: Ephesians 1:15-23

Key Verse: Ephesians 1:17
17  That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:

Devotion:
There are so many places in our bibles that show us that God continues to answer our prayers and that prayers are effective! This is just one of the places where Paul shows us that he was continually lifting others up in prayer because he knew that God was going to answer those prayers, not because it was him asking but because God is faithful and just to answer our prayers when we earnestly ask things in Jesus name.

We ask things through the name of Jesus Christ because it is Jesus Himself that has directed us to do that so that He can appeal to God as our advocate. We do this also because it was Jesus who gave so much on the cross for our sakes because He wanted us to know just how much He cares for us.

We are nothing like Christ when it comes down to the knowledge and wisdom that He has and so we should not expect to be able to do all that He can or think in the way that he can. Instead we ask for things through Him so that He can formulate the best possible response for all of our prayers made to Him. Paul was constantly asking for learning for the people that were doing the teaching – whilst that may seem a bit strange to us, it is exactly what is required. All the people that go out to teach others about God through giving them the gospel need our constant prayer so that they can expose God’s writings to others in the best possible light. If someone was to go and try and teach others in a different language they would not get too far because of the lack of understanding from the pupils, but when we rely on God to give us the wisdom and knowledge, nothing is impossible.

Missionaries would go to foreign countries to teach others about God. The first hurdle they had to get over was the language barrier in many cases. From then on it would be getting over the local habits and customs that would often exclude God. Then and only then could they expand on the Gospel content. But it was through their hope and trust in God that they themselves got the strength and wisdom to continue on going. We may feel like we are talking to foreigners at times because people just don’t know about God anymore like they used to. We are desperately needed to get that Word out there for others to see once again!

Points to Ponder:
How often do you read God’s Word?

How often do you read God’s word to others?