Issue 22 - Day 4

Philemon

Philemon 1:4-6
4)  I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers,
5)  Hearing of thy love and faith, which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all saints;
6)  That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.

How effectual are you at communicating your faith? Or, to put that in simple terms, can you tell others about Jesus, and do they come to know him as a result? Churches across the globe pour thousands into programs to increase our ability to share the gospel. Use this special technique, they say. Buy our program and learn how to be effective in your witness. Practice with role play, write out your testimony, do this, say that, and you will be more effective. All these things help us to speak. In fact our primary problem is that when it comes to the things of God we tend to clam up.

Paul teaches a totally different way to be more effective in our witness. For us, as we seek to share our faith, our love and faith toward Jesus, and other believers should be such that it is spoken of by others. More importantly we need people to be praying for us that this indeed happens, and especially thanking God for every good thing that is in us.

How much do you pray for your brothers in Christ? How often do you thank God for what he has done, and is doing in them? Make a list of your brothers in Christ, and pray for them daily. Maybe you decide to pray for a different group of believers each day. I personally use landmarks on my journey to work, so when I pass that place I am reminded to pray for that particular person. I’m not telling who gets Battersea Power Station, and who gets Battersea Dogs Home! The important thing is pray for one another always.