Ephesians 1:15-16 – Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers:

This word Therefore looks back to all that God has already done and will still yet do for all who are true members of the body of Christ, as Paul described in verses 3-14. It was after Paul received word of their faith in God and their love for others that he was assured his readers were possessors of the spiritual blessings he had just described, and was moved to pray for them. Notice, if you will, that the Lord is the true object of faith. You are not told to believe in a creed, in the church, or in other Christians. Saving faith is found entirely in the risen and exalted Christ. Your love should not be limited to those of your own area of fellowship, but should flow out to all who have been cleansed by the blood of Christ, to all the household of faith. Some people say they have faith, but it is hard to find any love in their lives. Others profess great love, but are quite indifferent to the necessity of faith in Christ. True Christianity combines both sound doctrine and sound living. You must have both strong faith and sincere love in order for your life to be rich.

Challenge:

Even though these believers that Paul heard about were loving and faithful they still needed prayer and he was compelled to pray for them and thank God for them. We would do well to follow the example that Paul illustrates for us over and over in his letters to the churches. Your challenge this week is to be thankful to the Lord and pray for the people God has placed in your life. Even if others you know seem as though they do not have any specific need for prayer, give thanks to God for them and pray they will be even more faithful to His word and more loving in all that they do. I would imagine, if you thought about it long enough, God would show you who in your life needs prayer and who you need to thank Him for placing into your life. We all could be more faithful to God and more loving toward those outside the family of God. So, let’s pray this for each other this week and see how God will answer our prayers and enrich our relationships with each other. May the Lord bless your faithfulness everyday.