30 New Days - Day 23

The 23rd day of a 30 day devotional Bible Study by the Rev. Tracy A. Siegman, Senior Pastor FCC, Covington, KY.  Shared with her gracious permission.

If you read the suggested passage each day, by the end of 30 days you will have read the entire New Testament.

Day 23
30-day reading plan: Galatians - Ephesians
Daily Verse: Ephesians 3: 16 - 21

I pray that out of [the Father’s] 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. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

When Paul wrote to a church, he often included words about how he was praying for them. He was often thankful for the faithful and prayed for their continued witness to the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. With such beautiful words of prayer to the church in Ephesus, it was hard to choose just one verse for today’s devotion.

Paul prayed for their continued unity and that they may see the full revelation of Christ’s love. The letter to the Ephesians church is full of poetic words about the glorious, incomprehensible, incomparable grace of God through Christ Jesus. The language is most certainly appropriate for the worship setting it would have been read in.

Paul was most concerned with unity in all of the churches he wrote to or visited. He wanted all of the believers to remember that they are one in one locale and across the world united by our love of Christ and His love for us. To that end, the Spirit gives us spiritual gifts so that we may build up the body of Christ until we all reach unity, peace, maturity and the full knowledge of God.

Question for reflection:
When praying for your church, what do you pray for?