40 Days of Prayer – Youth Devotional Day 23

THE CHURCH AS CHRIST’S BODY EPHESIANS 1:22–23  

We often think that the Bible is full of stories of heroes—David fighting Goliath, Moses part ing the Red Sea, etc. We imagine ourselves as the main characters in these stories because we  want to be heroes, too. But the truth is, when you read deeper into these stories, you see that  these people were not really heroes but deeply flawed humans whom God used despite their  weaknesses. The only true hero of the Bible who appears in the flesh is Jesus Christ.  

Because of His victory, He was made head over all things for the benefit of the Church. De spite our human weakness, He invites us into His mission to restore all the beloved children  into relationship with God the Father. We cannot accomplish this apart from Christ. 

Just as we cannot accomplish the mission without Christ’s leadership, we also cannot accom plish this mission without the community of the Body of Christ. Being a part of a community  is messy and hard work, but 1 Corinthians 12:18–21 reveals that just as the human body needs  every part to function, Christ’s Body is made of many different parts, all necessary and all  needed to accomplish the mission. 

PRAYER POINTS: 

1. Ask God to show you any ways you have tried to be the hero and  do things in your own strength apart from Him. How can you trust  Christ and His leadership in those areas? 

2. Ask God to reveal anything that is blocking you from engaging with  the Body of Christ. Is there unforgiveness? A lack of trust? Do you  feel insecure about what you have to offer the Body of Christ? How  is God asking you to step out in faith? 

3. What part do you think God is calling you to play in the Body  of Christ? Ask God to show you how you can walk faithfully in  

that calling. 

»by Anna Baldwin