The Everyday Prayer

Re:Verse passage – 1 Corinthians 12:4-11, Romans 12:4-8 (day four)

“Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them…” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭6‬a NKJV‬‬

What are the spiritual gifts that God has entrusted for you to use in the Kingdom, and how are you using them?

If you don’t know the answer to this question, please, I beg you, come see me, call me, don’t let another day go by until you know your gifts and how God wants you to use them! This is what leaders in the church are supposed to do. We are supposed to help you discern where you “fit” into the Body of Christ. Everyone has a job to do in the “diversity of activities” (1 Cor. 12:6) and you can’t say you are not needed or that you aren’t able. We all have “the same God who works all-in-all.”

I like the way the NLT phrases this part:

“There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.” ‭‭1 Cor.‬ ‭12‬:‭4‬-‭6‬ NLT‬‬

God does the work of preparing, equipping, and providing you with the grace needed for His Purposes.

Don’t forget: the Church’s entire reason for existence is to proclaim the Glory of God by reaching a lost world for Christ. Jesus’ post-resurrection teaching (Luke 24:44–49) shows that three events “must” happen according to Scripture:

• The Messiah would suffer
• He would rise from the dead
• Repentance and forgiveness would be proclaimed to all nations

The first two are often emphasized in churches; the third—mission—is frequently treated as optional. Yet Jesus presents mission as essential and unfinished.

If you are wondering what service you can offer a big church like FBCSA, then look no further. Look at how the Missions department needs your gifts, experience, and wisdom for serving behind-the-scenes.

There are a Total of 50 Positions:

Positions Needed on Each Team
• Domestic Missions: 4 of 6 still needed
• International Missions: 4 of 6 still needed
• Communications: 6 of 7 still needed
• Mobilization: 7 of 8 still needed
• Prayer: 4 of 9 still needed
• Special Projects: 2 of 3 still needed
• Training & Development: 9 of 10 still needed

Let’s get to work!

Re:Verse passage – 1 Corinthians 12:4-11, Romans 12:4-8 (day three)

⁷A demonstration of the Spirit is given to each person to produce what is beneficial:

One of my favorite Vacation Bible School lessons for our kids came a few years ago with Spark Studios. Our main point that week was that we are created by God on purpose and for His purpose. It is a lesson I find myself repeating to my own kids and to the kids of our church as often as I can. Each of us, adults included, needs to be reminded that we were made by God on purpose. Everything about us was meticulously thought through and intricately designed to make us, us. Nothing about us was an accident or a rush decision. That includes the gifts and talents that God has given us.

We are to be good stewards of these gifts and talents. It does not honor God or His working in us to sit on the side and never figure out how to use the talents and gifts that He purposely instills in us. Paul reminds us of this also in Ephesians 2:10. We were created in Christ to do good works, which He prepared ahead of time for us to do (paraphrased).

Today, take an assessment of your gifts and talents. Are you using them to be beneficial to the Kingdom of God? Are you using them for good works that glorify your Creator and point others to Him? Do you need to step off the sideline and utilize your gifts and talents differently?

Re:Verse passage – 1 Corinthians 12:4-11, Romans 12:4-8 (day two)

There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. 

All of us have someone that we admire or desire to emulate. They may possess some quality that we would like to see developed in ourselves. We often seek out individuals to mentor us in hopes to refine skills and character traits which will benefit us in some way or another. God often puts these relationships in our lives to help nurture our growth. Ultimately, however, we must discern exactly who we are to be in and through Jesus. We have been created to fill a certain role in God’s kingdom. That should give you courage. You have a purpose. You are uniquely designed to be you. What did God place in your DNA that makes you indispensable? When you look at it in this light, it should give you purpose. God will accomplish his good work, but his plan is for you – the you that he created – to be a part of that plan.

Re:Verse passage – Ephesians 5:15–17 (day seven)

[…] making the most of your time, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:16

The Greek word here for “time” is from the root word kairos which translates best to “the time.” This is a fixed range of time or a season of life. Galatians 6:10 translates this word to “opportunity.” It is not referring to time in a general sense as in every minute of every day. Instead of making the most of every moment in a day, we are to make the most of the opportunity that God has given us. The season of life we are in is a gift from God, so we need to steward and organize it as such.

It is not amiss to me that today was supposed to be a parenting emphasis day for our NextGen departments (now postponed due to winter weather). Did you know that if a child does not make a profession of faith by the age of 18 then their likelihood of doing so after 18 drops off exponentially? Any grandparent or empty nester will tell you that 18 years goes way too fast. That is why it is imperative that we help parents succeed in the discipleship of their children. We need to help parents make the most of the time they have left with their children.

No matter what season of life you find yourself in, God has placed you in that season for a specific purpose and plan. How can you steward this opportunity to most glorify Him and serve those closest to you?

Re:Verse passage – Ephesians 5:15–17 (day six)

When Paul writes in Ephesians, “Make the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil,” he is not saying that the day itself is morally bad. He is not condemning time, work, or ordinary life. Rather, Paul is naming a reality we all feel: our days are filled with forces that quietly resist God’s purposes.

In Scripture, “evil” often describes not just overt wickedness, but a shaping pressure. Genesis 6:5 says that “every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the day.” The problem wasn’t that time itself was corrupt, but that the day had become crowded with thoughts, desires, and patterns pulling humanity away from God.

Paul is getting at something similar. The days are “evil” because they are full of distractions that dull our attentiveness, forces that slowly deform our loves, and currents that pull us away from God’s will and the life of His Kingdom. Left unattended, our days do not remain neutral.

That’s why Paul urges us to live wisely. His exhortation is not anxious or frantic, but intentional: fill your day with what is good before something else fills it for you. Live awake. Live sober. Live responsive to God today.

Re:Verse passage – Ephesians 5:15–17 (day five)

This is a good passage to help us examine our understanding of God and the motivation of our heart. If we believe God has a different “will” for each of us, then we endlessly seek after a mysterious plan that we often are unsure of. We must discern WHO Yahweh is. His Sovereign Will is evident in His CHARACTER and His MISSION.

The Most High God is a MISSIONARY God. God is a Holy, Just, and Omnipotent God. We would do well to study the characteristics of our Creator. From Scripture we learn that everything He does is to accomplish the following:

“May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us— so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you. May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples with equity and guide the nations of the earth.”
Psalms 67:1-4

God’s Mission is to:

1. Make His ways (and Name) known on earth
2. His salvation among all nations (peoples)
3. Have all the peoples praise Him

This is phrased a different way in the first chapter of Malachi:

“‘My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to me, because my name will be great among the nations,’” says the Lord Almighty.”
Malachi 1:11

Yahweh’s will is that His Name would be great among the peoples of the world and they would bring Him the offerings He deserves.

This is how we live and walk wisely. We understand that ALL of us who call upon the name of Jesus are a part of God’s Mission. This means you should use your resources to seek first God’s Kingdom and His Righteousness. We are unwise when we think our money, time, and resources are personal for our own personal kingdoms. If we are not investing in the work of reaching a world who has never heard of God’s salvation through Jesus, then we are not making the most of every opportunity. The days are short and evil. Jesus is coming again soon. Will you be about the Father’s business or will you be found unfaithful to His Mission?

Re:Verse passage – Ephesians 5:15–17 (day four)

Time is a slippery thing. When we’re waiting in line or waiting for our shift to end, it can stretch on forever. On the flip side, I can’t be the only one that sits down to “quickly” check something on my phone, and later suddenly realize I’ve been scrolling for nearly an hour! Much more enjoyable are the conversations with a spouse or a friend that last for hours before we know it.

Time is challenging to keep ahold of. The misuse of time happens insidiously, often without us realizing it. The call to steward our time according to God’s purposes might be one of our most challenging callings as Christians. One of my constant prayers each day is that I would glorify God with my time and use it well. I desperately need his help to steward the time he’s given me. Not spending all my time on what is seemingly most urgent, but on what is most important. I want to spend my time doing exactly what God is leading me to that day.

Sometimes those are tasks, sometimes they’re long conversations. Sometimes it’s a longer time of prayer in the morning, sometimes it’s simply to rest. Ask the Lord to guide your time each day. It’s your most precious resource.

Re:Verse passage – Ephesians 5:15–17 (day three)

15Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, 16making the most of your time, because the days are evil.

I have an hourglass on my office desk that serves as a reminder to me to put into practice what Paul is saying in this verse: “Make the most of your time.” Now, I don’t turn it over and time out the tasks I do or even really use it, but it serves as a reminder that I have a finite amount of time that God has given me on this earth. The hourglass is a call to action for me. It is a visible reminder that I cannot be apathetic about the time I have but must be wise with how I use it.

This call to action permeates everything about my life. I cannot be apathetic in my time as a father but must be diligent to lead my kids with the “teachable moments” of our days. I cannot be apathetic with my time as a husband but must engage in loving and serving my wife in whatever ways those situations call for. I cannot be apathetic about my time as a worker but must manage my time appropriately to accomplish the tasks that need to be done.

This list could go on and on, but the point is the same. God calls us to be diligent in following Him with our time. It is a call out of apathy into action. What areas of your time need to be redeemed from apathy today or this week?

Re:Verse passage – Ephesians 5:15–17 (day two)

¹⁵ Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise,¹⁶ making the most of your time, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

The key phrase in this Pauline Proverb has to be “do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” When you work with people as long as I have, you quickly discover that not everyone is designed the same. We are all uniquely called and qualified to work out our salvation in the way we were created to accomplish it. This can be frustrating for some. We can fall into a trap of trying to be like Brother A or Sister B. We can listen to sermons on what your time management  “should” look like. There are tools that help people manage the chaos of life, to be sure. I have used, and subscribe to a few currently myself. However, they are ways that help me manage what the Lord has given me; but the ultimate authority on my calling is the Lord. If you want to invest in ways to budget your time, I would encourage you, first, to turn to scripture; turn to prayer. There is a wise use of your time, and trusting the Lord to help you navigate the moment by moment and the big picture puzzles is foundational to that wisdom.