Tuesday Reading: John 17:17-23
Key Verse: John 17:21
21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, so that the world may believe that You have sent Me.
Devotion:
Jesus’ prayers were not selfish; they were not about Himself or for Himself only. He prayed for everyone that was willing to accept the truth – God’s Word. He set Himself apart from the world so that everyone would get to know God’s Word and separated Himself so that He would be able to offer Himself as a perfect sacrifice in our stead. Jesus, through choice, chose not to sanctify Himself, nor to lift Himself up but rather for God to do that for Him; by this He chose to be God’s servant.
Jesus lifted each one of us up in prayer: “those also who shall believe on Me through their word”. It was not just the disciples He was lifting up but every one of us who believes on Him through what we have heard and read. There is no way that we can know the truth until we hear it. There is no way we can be sure that anything people tell us is the truth unless it comes from God. We have God’s Word, our bibles, from which we need to learn and then tell others of the wonderful things that Christ has done for us. Through our telling, others may get to know Him too.
His prayer that we may be one body under one head all brought together through one soul was earnest. He wants us to be able to be reunited with Him and God the Father in heaven. He laid down His life for us so that that could come to pass, so that we may believe that He was willing to do anything just for us – because of His love for us. He wanted us to know just how much God loves everyone. The more people argue about Christianity, the more they throw doubts over various issues and the more stumbling blocks they lay down before men. We need to move towards unity and that unity must be based on the truth – God’s Word – and not on our own beliefs or wants. God wants us to be one with Him. He wants us to be one with the truth. God is the truth; His word is the truth.
Points to Ponder:
What do you seek for in life?
Are you lifting up the truth or laying down stumbling blocks?
