READ Ephesians 3
Paul is called to be a minister and to take the Gospel to the Gentiles.

INSIGHT
Paul calls his ministry the fulfillment of a “mystery.” In the Bible, a mystery is nothing mysterious but something previously unknown. The mystery was that Jews and Gentiles would join together to form a new entity—the church. This mystery was foretold by Jesus, but the details of the doctrine, walk, and destiny of the church were communicated by Paul and his fellow apostles. Now as a new thing—the body of Christ—we are all to allow Christ to live His life through us.

PRAYER
Praise God for the mighty plan He has for the church:
Hallelujah!
Give praise, servants of the Lord;
Praise the name of the Lord.
The Lord is exalted above all the nations,  
His glory above the heavens.  
Who is like the Lord our God —
The one enthroned on high,  
Who stoops down to look
On the heavens and the earth?
(Psalm 113:1, 4-6).

Pause for praise and thanksgiving. Now pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect (James 5:16).

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind, and pray this affirmation to the Lord:
For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible,
whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and by him all things hold together. He is also the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,  
so that he might come to have first place in everything (Colossians 1:16-18).

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:

• Wisdom as you serve in your local church
• Your activities for the day
• Whatever else is on your heart

Finally, offer this prayer to the Lord:
For this reason also, since the day we heard this, we haven’t stopped praying for you. We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God (Colossians 1:9-10).