Instagram Jesus Week 5: Devotional Day 6

DAY 6 – Saturday

Daily devotional

Read

Matthew 5:43-45; Ephesians 6:18

Ask

Many of Jesus’ first disciples worked in the same location and/or were in the same family. Who can you pray for and reach out to this week who is in your workplace or family?

Reflect

I have the privilege of living in a dorm with about 18 other young women at seminary. Over the course of the semester, we get to know each other pretty well as we share a common space and one tiny kitchen (yes, we are all responsible for providing our own dinners). Every Sunday night, a few of us gather together to share prayer requests and pray for one another and all those in our dorm. Personally, I’ve found that this practice of praying for one another helps me to be more aware of and empathetic towards what they are going through. God has been transforming me through this practice of praying for them, making me a better friend and house-mate.

The Ask question today may be easy to rush through, but I want to encourage you to slow down when you discuss it with your LifeGroups. Here are some pointers and further questions to help you in your reflection:

Take a minute to think about those who are in your workplace or those who are family members/close-friends. Pick out five people to focus on.
Are these five people you are thinking of people whom you have prayed for before? Have you ever felt that you have grown tired of praying for them?
For the five people, can you think of specific prayer requests for each one? How about prayers of thanks for each one? Do you feel like you can ask them, “How can I be praying for you this week?”
How can you reach out to each of the five people this week? For those whom you haven’t communicated with in a while, just the act of reaching out is significant. For those whom you are in regular contact with, how can you reach out to them in a special way (ex. sending a note instead of a regular phone call)?