We
have a special place in our heart for our best friend. We love to spend time
with this person and we share our deepest secrets, joys and fears with them
that we do not feel safe sharing with anyone else.
Jesus
considers us His friends as well. We are not His slaves, lacking the privilege
of knowing what He is thinking and planning; but we are His friends and He
shares with us everything that our Father shares with Him (John 15:15).
He
gives us eternal life, which is the privilege of intimately knowing Him; and
through knowing Him, we know our Father God. Jesus set an example for us to focus
on and to accomplish what God planned for us to do with our life (John 17:1-4).
He
enables us to keep God's Word and to live as testimonies for Him in the world
(John 17:5-8). He gives us everything, which our Father gives to Him, so that
He can be glorified in each one of us (John 17:9-10).
He
intercedes for us to our Heavenly Daddy in order for God to keep us safe in
this world and to allow us the intimate union with God that Jesus enjoyed, even
while in His human form on this earth (John 17:11-12).
When
He suffered for our sins on the cross, and knew He was going home to our Father
in the glories of Heaven, He asked God to give us His joy in our hearts, so we
could successfully endure the trials of life and the wiles of Satan while we
live on this earth (John 17:13-15).
Jesus
endured the sanctifying process in His human form, so that we would have His
example and presence in us to submit to the Holy Spirit's sanctifying work in
us and in all of those who come to Christ through our testimony to them as well
(John 17:16-20).
Prayer:
Father
God, thank You that Jesus made it possible for us to abide in unity with You,
just as He enjoyed in His human form, and also to live in union with one
another. Through Jesus in us, we have Your agape love available to us to
receive and then to share with others (John 17:20-26).
Your
agape love is not self-seeking and is freely and unconditionally given - especially
to people we do not like or are even repulsed by. Remind us to view everyone as
a sinner in need of Your grace; and help us not to judge others by their
behavior, but by Your grace and mercy.
Thought
for the Day:
When
everyone else in the world rejects us for their own reasons, we can always
count on Jesus to stick closer to us than a brother. - Proverbs 18:24
