MORNING MEDITATION
In the morning when I rise, give me Jesus.

What happens to the world if our churches don't operate like they are supposed to? What happens if we are not fulfilling the role that God intended us to fill? Slowly but steadily, the influence of God on our culture will recede, leaving a world devoid of His power and protection.

Last week we prayed for our pastor, and today we're praying for other leaders and servants in our churches. While it's true that we can have an impact in our communities as individuals, we are called to collectively come together to be the light of the world. Today let's pray for all those who lead and serve in the church (Matt. 5:14–16).

1. Pray for Those Who Lead (1 Thess. 5:25)
Ask God for the leaders in your church to model a commitment to Scripture and a commitment to caring for those who are outside the walls of the sanctuary. Ask God to bring to your mind the faces of those in leadership, and pray for each one as you think of them.

2. Pray for Those Who Serve (John 12:26)
Ask God to bring to mind those who serve in your church. Pray for greeters and ushers who serve on Sunday mornings. Pray for those who work with children and youth. Pray for ministry teams that are impacting your community. Pray for those who serve in the kitchen and those who clean the bathrooms! While you can pray for groups of people who serve, I encourage you to think of the individuals who serve in your church. Pray as specifically as possible.

Allow yourself to feel the heaviness of God's heart for His church in today's world. Talk with Him about what He wants from His church, and ask that He would move in the hearts of His people to seek His face and affect the world for His glory (2 Chron. 7:14). Don't forget that your prayers matter.

AFTERNOON REFLECTION
We will never change the world by going to church.  We will change the world only by being the church.

Have you done it yet? Have you prayed for your church? If not, now is a good time!

What does it mean to be the church? We know what it means to go to church, but being the church is something different altogether.

In the apostle Paul's letter to the believers in Corinth-a church full of folks who are probably a lot like the folks in your church-he exhorts, "Now you are the body of Christ, and each of you is a part of it" (1 Cor. 12:27). He wants followers of Jesus to hear that each one plays a critical role. Without the gifts that each person brings-eyes that see, ears that hear, arms that serve-the body doesn't work right. For the church to be the church, we all need to participate.

Assess your thoughts on what it means to be the church. If you realize that there is a gap between what you believe and what you do, ask God to help you look like His church in your every day as we enter a new week.

Prayer can never be in excess. -C. H. Spurgeon, preacher

EVENING INSPIRATION
This evening, pray that God will continue to purify and strengthen the church.

1. Pray for Bold Commitment (1 Kings 8:61)
Pray that your church and the churches in your community will be boldly committed to the Word of God and, at the same time, compassionate to people who need the saving love of Jesus Christ. Pray that God's people will hunger for God's truth both personally and corporately and also have hearts overflowing with concern for those who don't know it.

2. Pray for Unity (1 Cor. 1:10)
Pray that leaders in the church will be of one accord as they lead others in looking toward the throne. It is God's will that we live and work together for His kingdom in unity.

3. Pray for Righteousness (Matt. 6:33)
Pray that the people in your church and in your community's churches will value holiness. Pray that they will value hearts, homes, and habits that please God and will be willing to repent personally and corporately for that which offends Him.

Ask God to be at work in your church and in those people around you, so that we might be the body of Christ in the world today.

PRAYER PROMPT
God, I pray for Your church. Help us to _____________.