Prayer from Ephesians 1:1

Ephesians 1:1--Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God,

I really don't think Paul was intentionally a mean man. He was just following the lead of the High Priest and the Pharisees. They said that Jesus was a fake and his followers needed to be stopped. He believed them and did everything he could to stop them.

I can just hear them now. "Way to go, Paul, you're doing a good job." "I'm glad that somebody stepped up to the plate and started doing what needed to be done." "We need more men like you around here." Does that sound familiar?

You've got to admit that Paul was serious about his worship of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He described himself as a Hebrew of the Hebrews (Phil. 3:5). In the next verse he declared himself to be faultless as concerning the law.

Listen to me carefully. Paul was like a lot of church members. They are busy doing something that they think is important. However, just like Paul, what they are doing just might not be what God's will for their lives.

Inside of every one of us God has placed a unique gift, 1 Peter 4:10, that God expects us to use in ministering to one another. The question that we need to ask ourselves is--Am I just doing something in the church or am I doing something that challenges the gift that God has placed inside of me?
When Paul changed his direction and answered God's call on his life, God opened a great door of the anointing within him. That anointing fulfilled God's call on his life and filled Paul with more joy than he ever expected to experience.

Pray with me--

Father, I'm serving in the body of Christ and I know that I'm doing some good. But, I want to know for sure that this is Your purpose for my life. From this moment on I'm going to pray more than I ever have. If I'm doing the right job then help me to be more effective in reaching the lost and touching lives. If there is something else You have called me to do, then let me know in a manner that I can understand. The bottom line is, help me to be more effective in the Body of Christ. In Jesus Name, Amen.