Thursday, 3 August 2023
“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.”
Notice the order of things in this verse. We bear fruit that remains SO THAT whatever we ask the Father in Jesus’ name, he will give us.
We usually think of it the other way around. We think we must pray in order to produce spiritual fruit in our lives, and that is true. But the problem with that view is that we see prayer only as a tool that helps us in the ‘real work.’ But Jesus wants us to see prayer, not only as a help in ministry, but as a fruitful ministry itself.
Prayer is a ministry, and just as we would for any other ministry, we should prepare ourselves in our spiritual state to be ready to pray. Just as we would with any other ministry, we should have the goal of being more effective in our praying and should be working towards that goal, making ourselves useful to God for prayer.
What could you do that would prepare you spiritually to be more fruitful in the ministry of prayer? How can you be more effective in prayer? What is God’s challenge to you today?
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