-April 15, 2024-
Good morning beloved, happy Monday,
“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they may be one, as You Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You have sent Me.”
(John 17:20-21).
Today is the last in our series on the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus. He prayed for Himself, before going to the cross that He would glorify the Father; and He prayed for His disciples knowing the sorrow they would face, and that the Father would sanctify them through the Word of God. Today, we will consider His prayer for all believers, including us today.
While much of what Jesus prayed for disciples applies to us too, the words He used in John 17:20-26 focuses on future believers after Pentecost. We face new challenges and obstacles in the world today.
Jesus addresses one of the greatest needs we have: to be one in Christ just as Jesus is One with the Father. Christ is the Head of the Church, the Savior of the body. We are members of His body. There are believers in every country of the world, from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.
Unity is not a prevalent as it should be. We often view our differences more than our commonalities. Psalm 133:1 says, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.” There is no room for division or strife among God’s people. There is way too much nitpicking and fault finding.
Paul in writing to the Corinthians said, “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Corinthians 1:10).
Satan seeks to divide us, Christ to unite us. The hymn writer wrote, “We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord; We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord; and we pray that our unity will one day be restored. And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love. Yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.” The expression is so true: “United we stand, divided we fall.”
May the Lord help us to be one in faith, hope, and love to represent our Savior above. Let us pray for each other as Jesus prayed for us. Stay safe and healthy.
It is always a blessing to meet our fellow believers as we journey through life. We have a special bond.
Dean
Dean Allen's Daily Devotional 