Ephesians 6:18-20 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
Colossians 4:2-4 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.
The writing today is not so much a devotional as it is an accountability check for myself. You see, I’ve been not only studying, but “leading” a Bible study for women in our church. The book is Deep Rooted: Growing Through the Book of Romans by Kathy Howard, (2022, Bold Vision Books). One of the very first lessons focused on becoming gospel-saturated to the point where we are able to easily engage people in gospel conversations. This is what Paul asked others to pray for him, that he would declare the gospel message fearlessly and clearly. This is what I wrote about in yesterday’s devotional, “Thoughts about Prayer”.
Yesterday, I prayed that God would present opportunities and that we, especially that I, would respond. I prayed—the Lord gave me an opportunity—and I failed miserably. Although a hug was exchanged and I told the young man I loved him and was proud of him…how much better to have simply said, “I love you, and God loves you, too.” That might have opened a door for conversation.
I share this with you for several reasons. First of all, simply because I always write from my heart and the topic of sharing the gospel with others is urgent. None of us knows the length of our own days, nor do we know the length of the days of the person with whom we have the opportunity to speak. It is essential that we make the most of opportunities we are given, and I failed. My only response was prayer that God would lead someone else into that young man’s life, someone who would indeed open the door for gospel conversation that I left shut.
Although yesterday showed me clearly an area in my life that needs development, there were also opportunities to which I did respond. Paul urges both the Ephesians and the Colossians to continue to pray for others; to be devoted in prayer. Along these lines, I was contacted by three others yesterday, specifically asking me to add a request to my prayers; something I was thankful to do. No matter how long my list grows, there is always room to prayer for others. And once someone is on my list; they are rarely removed…even when the request itself has long passed. This gave me an opportunity to thank my Heavenly Father that there are those who recognize how important prayer is to me, and that they would trust me to pray for their need in a way that respects their privacy. I consider this a blessing from my Heavenly Father.
No, today is not a devotional so much as it is an accountability check for myself. Yet somehow I believe that if I have both failures and blessings on a daily basis, so do you, dear Reader. Let us continue to be devoted in prayer for each other.
Gracious Heavenly Father,
Thank you for the blessings of trust and the blessings of prayer—honest conversations with you. Thank you for presenting us with opportunities to share the gospel and forgive us when we fail to respond. Help us learn from our mistakes and encourage us to go forward with a new confidence.
In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, Amen.
The devotional Accountability Check appeared first on Write From My Heart at
https://writefrommyheartblog.blogspot.com
email: Dotty Willmon, writefrommyheartblog@gmail.com
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