TODAY IS…

a fine day to pray for more.

“I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding.”  Philippians 1:9 NLT

What is being suggested here is that today is a fine day to pray for more love and understanding between fellow Christians and for Jesus Christ on behalf of ourselves and those around us.

Paul stressed the importance of praying for others, especially for knowledge and understanding. In his letter to the church of Ephesus, Paul let them know how great he thought their faith was and he told them.

“I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.” (Ephesians 1:16 NIV).

We should pray like Paul and give thanks not only for those members of our family that we love, but also for those around us we love in Christ.

We should take our cue from Paul when he says, “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better.” (Ephesians 1:17 NIV).

One can almost feel the joy that Paul felt in praying for others and knowing that he was helping them to know the love of God.

One of our goals, as we serve Christ, should always be to pray to bring others out of the darkness in which so many live. We can do this, again, by looking to the words of Paul when he went on to say, “I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope He has given to those He called – His holy people who are His rich and glorious inheritance.” (Ephesians 1:18 NLT).

God hears us when we pray on our own behalf. He wants us to talk to Him, to confide in Him, and to rely on Him. But He also wants us to learn the lessons found in the Bible, particularly those concerning service to others, and a very effective way to serve others that we can make no excuses for not doing, is to pray for them. It costs us nothing; it can be done at our convenience; it can be done anywhere; and it can be done often.

It can also be done without their knowledge, so when we give someone the gift of our prayers we are following Christ’s instructions to, “Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:4 NLT).

So go ahead and pray for more.

Ask for all of the love and understanding you want for yourselves, your family, your friends, and everyone around you. This is one of those times when asking for more is not only alright, it is encouraged.

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Taken from “TODAY IS….A Gift From God”, (C) 2013 Tony Casson