21 Days of Prayer & Fasting 2021: Day 5

DAY 5: I AM GIFTED IN CHRIST
Friday, February 12

READ
Ephesians 4:11-16; 1 Corinthians 12

REFLECT
Do you ever wonder why, if one part of your body hurts, other parts hurt as well? That is because each part of our bodies are interrelated. An ingrown toenail can affect your hips (due to the way the pain in your toe makes you walk). On the flip side, when we take care of our bodies through exercise, other health problems we are experiencing may diminish.

As part of the body of Christ, we are interrelated to others in this body. In a sense, we are never fully ourselves unless we have others around us who complete us. And part of this completeness involves us playing a role in the body.

To function in this role, every single believer has been given a gift to build up the church and glorify God. Our identities in Christ imply that God has uniquely created and equipped us with gifts to serve one another. Since God has equipped us with these gifts, we can equip others by building them up. When we do so, we grow in Christlikeness and in unity with each other.

Rick Warren says, “When God gives you a talent, he expects you to use it. It’s like a muscle. If you use it, it will grow. If you don’t, you’ll lose it. If you have a talent but are afraid to use it, or if you get lazy and don’t use it to benefit others, you’re going to lose it. Like the parable of the 10 talents in Luke 19, if you don’t use what God has given you, he will take it away and give it to someone else who will.”[1]

Modern culture may try to pressure us to use our gifts for ourselves rather than for God and others. If we acquiesce to this pressure, we are in danger of abusing our gifts by misusing them. We must remember that we are given gifts not to boast, but to bless.

RESPOND
Spend time in prayer, following the Upward, Inward, Outward, Upward format.

Upward: Who God is; What God has done, is doing, will do
Inward: Who you are; How you live
Outward: Intercession for others; unified prayer focus with Pathway

TODAY’S PRAYER: God, help us realize how we are interconnected with one another. Help us realize how our actions and inactions affect others. Guide us in using our spiritual gifts to build up your body and not just ourselves. May the city of Fort Wayne look at our unity and be amazed at who you are!

Upward: Thanksgiving and Worship

VIDEO DEVOTIONAL
As part of our 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting, we will have bi-weekly devotionals with some of our own PCC family members. Today Ken and Anne Batt share some thoughts about who we are in Christ, and lead us in a prayer. View the video HERE.