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
