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PRAYER HELPS US LIVE FOR CHRIST
FRIDAY, APRIL 14
Philippians 1:19-21

Colossians 1:9-14

 

“…as always, so now also
Christ shall be magnified

in my body…”

 

PRAYER HELPS US LIVE FOR CHRIST
 
Amid the busyness of life, it can be difficult to remember our purpose as believers. We get so caught up in the affairs of this life that we forget we have been saved to magnify Christ with the life we live. We forget that we should no longer do things for self, but for the Lord who loves us and gave Himself for us. We selfishly go through life seeking after the things of this world to gratify our carnal desires.
 
This was not the heart of the Apostle Paul, for to him, to live is Christ! His earnest desire was whether in life or death, he would be able to do all things for the glory Christ. And this is possible “through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:19), i.e. it is through prayer and the work of the Holy Spirit that we can live for Christ.
 
From this we learn the importance of prayer. We need to pray that God will help us to focus our hearts upon Him. Through prayer we are reminded that all we have is from Him, and that all that we do ought to be for His glory. We need to pray for those around us as well. When we intercede for one another, we are acknowledging the fact that all of us, the whole body of Christ, need the Lord’s help to enable us to live for Him. Just as the physical body requires the head to function properly, we all need our Head, the Lord Jesus Christ, to enable us to operate as one for His glory. Paul acknowledged this need when he shared that he was confident that what he was going through in prison would lead to his “salvation” (Phil 1:19; not in the sense of eternal salvation, but spiritual deliverance from the trial that he was in). That can come about only “through your prayer.” He was teaching the Christians at Philippi of the importance of intercessory prayer. It was vital that they continue to pray for him in his time of need, that the Lord would enable him to continue to live for Him even while he was in prison.
 
THOUGHT: Am I able to live for Christ if I do not pray?
PRAYER: May the focus of my prayers be on the spiritual priorities of this life.

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