God's Gospel Truths
John 17:20-23
My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 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. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
~ Jesus
Pondering Point
This snippet of scripture comes from a prayer of Jesus that occurs in the Garden of Gethsemane just prior to His arrest. The prayer gives us a chance to listen in on His mindset at that time and highlight those who will be positively affected by the ministry of the original disciples.
- The first goal: That incoming followers of Jesus become one like Jesus and the Father are one. How would you describe the unity of Father and Son? One in heart? Mind? Will? Essense?
- The second goal: That those united followers of Jesus be “in Us” (in the Father and Son) so that the world may believe that Jesus was sent by God the Father.
That message of Jesus, being sent to bring God and man together as well as bring people together, is 2000 years old. Yet it is still real and effective – and now rests in the hands of us current disciples. Unity among us is paramount for the effectiveness of the message.
Prayer for the Day
Lord Jesus, as You intercede for us, pray that we would live worthy of the message You have given us as Your disciples. By Your Spirit, help us to live "as one," full of love and unity while bringing Your message to the world. In Your name we pray. Amen.