Anglican Communion Daily Fountain Devotional 11 February 2020 – Prisoners for Christ
TOPIC: Prisoners for Christ
SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 3:1-13
MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE: God never said that the journey would be easy, but He did say that the arrival would be worthwhile”– Max Lucado
MESSAGE: Apostle Paul gives a concise account of his ministry in the verses of today’s passage. It is very important that we appreciate that his labelling himself a ‘prisoner’ is not in the negative sense as is usually associated with the word. Anyone who is imprisoned is often viewed as one who has committed a crime.
It is rather an expression of commitment to a course or role from which he wishes not to escape, no matter what it cost him.
For this, he prayed the Christians at Ephesus not to be dismayed or discouraged by his sufferings. To discharge our ministries effectively and successfully, we need to have a good understanding (v.4) of the contents of the gospel and our specific roles in sharing it.
Daily Fountain Devotional 11 February 2020: It is very pertinent that we realise that in this ministry, we are nothing but servants and privileged carriers of the mystery of Christ. Anyone who must make his mark needs to know that executing this task requires the grace of God (v.7).
Leaning on the grace of God boosts our confidence and enhances our availability. Mention is to be made of God’s special disposition towards all who are of the ‘lowly estate’ (v.8),that is, humility. Can we therefore like Apostle Paul, count ourselves as both prisoners ‘for’ and ‘of’ Christ?
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, I yield myself totally to you as a prisoner for the sake of the gospel. Grant me a perfect understanding of my specific role in sharing this gospel, Amen!
PREVIOUS: Christian Unity
The Daily Fountain Devotional 11 February 2020 – Following Christ Sheepishly, was written by Anglican Communion.