January 30: Accepting His Love.
HIS UNITY.
"I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me."--John 17:23
I have participated in satellite evangelistic series, where many people come together in one area to plan and organize meetings that are televised with the purpose of sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. One of the most encouraging aspects of these experiences is to watch people, with different backgrounds and unique skills, come together with an evangelistic purpose in mind: to share God's redemption through Jesus and His love for humanity.
In his Gospel, John records a prayer of Jesus that has been called "the High Priestly prayer." In it, He petitions the Father that His followers may become united with an evangelistic purpose: "That they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they may also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that you sent Me" (John 17:21). Each beloved believer is unique in the eyes of God, and He has not asked us to give up our God-given individuality. The purpose of unity is always to make Jesus known to the world. Jesus continues: "I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity [Greek: perfected into one], so that the world may know that you sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me" (verse 23). The purpose of the unity is not sameness but an evangelistic message: making Jesus and His love for all known. It is a privilege to be in a group of people whose primary aim is to proclaim the love of God, as manifested in Jesus. By the way, did you realize from this verse that God wants you to know that He loves you? And that the Father loves you as He loves Jesus! Wow! And not only that: He wants you to be with Him for eternity! "Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am" (verse 24). I personalize this verse: "I want Elizabeth to be with Me." Place your name there too, because Jesus desires you to be with Him! May we be part of a community that is one in Jesus, with the purpose of sharing Jesus with the world!
My Response:_________________________________________
HIS UNITY.
"I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me."--John 17:23
I have participated in satellite evangelistic series, where many people come together in one area to plan and organize meetings that are televised with the purpose of sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. One of the most encouraging aspects of these experiences is to watch people, with different backgrounds and unique skills, come together with an evangelistic purpose in mind: to share God's redemption through Jesus and His love for humanity.
In his Gospel, John records a prayer of Jesus that has been called "the High Priestly prayer." In it, He petitions the Father that His followers may become united with an evangelistic purpose: "That they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they may also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that you sent Me" (John 17:21). Each beloved believer is unique in the eyes of God, and He has not asked us to give up our God-given individuality. The purpose of unity is always to make Jesus known to the world. Jesus continues: "I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity [Greek: perfected into one], so that the world may know that you sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me" (verse 23). The purpose of the unity is not sameness but an evangelistic message: making Jesus and His love for all known. It is a privilege to be in a group of people whose primary aim is to proclaim the love of God, as manifested in Jesus. By the way, did you realize from this verse that God wants you to know that He loves you? And that the Father loves you as He loves Jesus! Wow! And not only that: He wants you to be with Him for eternity! "Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am" (verse 24). I personalize this verse: "I want Elizabeth to be with Me." Place your name there too, because Jesus desires you to be with Him! May we be part of a community that is one in Jesus, with the purpose of sharing Jesus with the world!
My Response:_________________________________________
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