JOHN 17:6-19

TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2007

THE PRAYER OF JESUS - PART 2 - HE PRAYS FOR HIS DISCIPLES.
 

6 “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. 7 Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. 8 For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me.
9 “I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. 10 And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. 12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. 18 As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth. St. John 17:6-19 (NKJV)

Are you a Disciple of Christ?

If you are, that means that you have chosen to daily be in prayer seeking guidance that you might have the strength and wisdom to live each moment according to God’s will.

If you are, then in this prayer, Jesus is praying for you. That is an awesome thought. We usually think of prayer only as asking God for something or praising Him for the Blessings we have received. But here, God, the Son, is praying for us. That is kind of like something we do as individuals, committees, congregations, or organizations. We decide to do something and one of the first things we think about is, “Who do we know that has the power to help us carry out this task?” Once we determine who that person is, ask the person, and the person says “YES,” the task becomes so much easier no matter how many stumbling blocks we encounter.

In this prayer there are many thoughts to meditate on. I have chosen two to share with you. Always keep in mind that what Jesus prays concerning His disciples, He is praying for the Disciples at that time and all in the future. That includes you and me who have accepted the invitation of Jesus when He said, “Come, Follow Me.”

Jesus tells His Father in Heaven that He has revealed to His Disciples all that has been revealed to Him. Have you ever thought about that? This does not mean that we have the answer to every question we have asked. It does mean that we have the answer to every question we need to ask in order to know the Love of God and grow in the faith that unlocks the door to Heaven. If this is the case, do we sometimes waste time in asking for answers we already have? Prayer is never a waste of time. What I am talking about here is the same kind of thing that often occurs between teachers and students. I can remember times when I would ask a teacher a question. The teacher would reply by asking me if I read the assigned chapter or section in the book? Sure enough the answer was in the book. Sure enough those things that Jesus revealed to us, those things that we need to know are in the Book. This is a reason why I encourage people to make the time for Devotions consisting of reading a devotional and meditating on the verse and the author’s thoughts, a time of prayer and using one of the many outlines available for reading through the Bible in a year. No matter how many times I have read a verse, the next time I may see a truth that I had not seen before. On so many issues today we accept the teachings of the world. Just because these teachings are politically and socially acceptable does not mean they are in harmony with God.

It is at this point the second thought I want to share enters the picture. As Disciples of Christ we are IN the world and NOT OF the world, and because of that, people will hate us. How many times do we read of people who have not gone along with political or business practices of corruption and have been either fired or transferred to positions that are meaningless and demeaning. We hear of people in other countries persecuted for being Christians, but do we recognize that the same persecution, in different forms, takes place wherever Christians stand up for God’s Word when it goes against the acceptable morals and practices of today. As you stand firm in your faith, if you are hated, don’t give in or give up. Remember Jesus said, “Follow Me.”

WE PRAY: Heavenly Father, send your Holy Spirit upon me that my eyes, ears, and heart may be opened to understand the truth of your Holy Word. As I grow in knowledge and faith, strengthen me so that I can, with Your help, withstand the enticements of the evil one. AMEN

A SUGGESTION FOR LIVING THE DEVOTION

If you do not presently have a time set aside for devotions, make an effort to do so. It can make a big change in your life. Many churches provide Devotional booklets, there are wonderful selections at your local Christian Bookstores, or you could try my devotional book. You can also search the Internet for a daily Devotion. Some of these on the Internet also include an additional Bible Reading schedule that helps you to read the entire Bible in one year. One of these is The Upper Room.