Today's Reading:
Numbers 26:52-28:15
John 17:1-26
Psalm 44:13-26
Click on Text Link to Read Online
Focus Verses: John 17:20-21
20 "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21
that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am
in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you
have sent me.
Insight:
Though
it may sound confusing at first, I like to refer to John 17 as "The
Lord's Prayer." No, it's not the model prayer Jesus gave his
disciples when they asked him to teach them how to pray (Luke 11:1-4).
It is, however, the longest, most personal, and deeply relational
prayer of Jesus recorded in Scripture. John 17 gives insight into Jesus'
sense of mission, his hope for
the world, and his love for his disciples.
Jesus asked his Father God to help him
accomplish his purpose in a way that would demonstrate divine love and
glory. He asked God to protect, sustain, and guide his disciples.
He asked God to help them know the truth and to live holy lives. He
prayed for the unity of believers—not just for those who were
following him at that point, but for all believers who through the
testimony of the disciples would subsequently come to believe in him.
Response and Action:
In
this prayer of Jesus, I can recognize his claim to divinity. He
calls God his Father and claims to have been present with God in glory
before the world began. I also recognize Jesus' call to his
disciples to follow him in faith, to walk in holiness, to be
witnesses of the truth, to share the gospel, and to live in unity
with other believers.
O God, thank you
for Jesus and his prayer for all who believe in him. Thank you,
Jesus, for interceding for your people at God's right hand. By the
power and grace of your Holy Spirit, help me to grow in my faith, to
lead a righteous life, to be a light, to live in harmony and shared
purpose with other believers, and to give glory to God. Amen.
Spiritual Formation Verses: Psalm 133:1
1 How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!
Resources:
Thinking About Church Life
by R. Paul Stevens and Robert Banks
"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the person of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17
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