Jesus Prays for You!
(Devotions this week based on Sunday’s Message: Pray Like Jesus! Pray for Special Distinction! – CLICK HERE)
Jesus was thinking of you!
Studying and preaching through the prayer of Jesus in John 17 has provided personal growth and interesting insights into one of Jesus’ last prayers to his Father in heaven. When time is short and life is nearing an end, words are carefully chosen and thoughts clearly expressed so those that hear them understand without question what is being said and its meaning.
Jesus wants you to know he loves you.
When I consider my prayer life, I have to confess a lot of my prayer content is for personal benefits. Grant health, give success, watch over my family, etc. Sure I pray for other people and situations, but my natural default probably is to pray for things of personal concern.
Jesus does pray for himself, but over half of his prayer is for his disciples…and for you.
Jesus prays for you because he loves you.
Even with his crucifixion less than 24 hours away, he prays for you and all who will believe the message he gave to his disciples to share.
Here is what he prays:
20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 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. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23 I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
25 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”
He prays for oneness.
Oneness is not just being in the same space or doing the same thing. Oneness is an internal condition. We use the phrase “one in spirit.” While this maybe is helpful, it still is lacking. Jesus defines the oneness he wants believers to experience to parallel the oneness he and the Father experience. The persons of the Trinity are one in being. They share the same values. They share the same understanding. They share the same message. They share the same purpose.
He prays that we be one with him and his Father and with each other.
Oneness with our fellow believers can only be formed when our hearts are at one with the Father. Our hearts can only be at one with the Father with faith in Jesus as Savior. This internal change worked by God’s Spirit is the place from which oneness with other believers stems.
Without oneness with God we cannot enjoy oneness with others.
Apply: What does oneness with God mean for you?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for thinking of me in your prayer. I ask that you always keep me close to you and as I grow closer to you, to grow closer to others. AMEN.
What Makes You Stand Out?
(Devotions this week based on Sunday’s Message: Pray Like Jesus! Pray for Special Distinction! – CLICK HERE)
(Well, I guess I’m not back in the rhythm after vacation…sorry for missing a post yesterday! Hopefully when it’s not in your inbox, you still pull out your Bible and spend time with the Lord and his Word!)
What sets you apart?
It may be a sports team. We are in the middle of the NCAA basketball tournaments. As you look at the crowds, the team colors and uniforms and facepaint definitely distinguish one set of fans from another! One can tell by when a fan cheers what team they are supporting.
We may be distinguished by our career. I am a pastor opposed to a mailman. One is an engineer and another an electrician.
We may be distinguished by accomplishments. Maybe you were the valedictorian of your graduating class. Maybe you sold the largest contract for your company. Maybe you provided an insight that turned a declining business into a profitable one. Maybe you invented something that had never been made before.
Maybe we are set apart by our culture, language, or part of the world in which we live.
There are many things that can set us apart. In fact, subconsciously we look to find our significance in our uniqueness.
On the other hand, there are times we don’t want to be different or stand out. To gain the acceptance of friends, we may conform to what they like and engage in the things the others do. To keep our job, we fall in line with the company policies even though they may go against our personal beliefs. We keep our mouth shut with neighbors to avoid a confrontation on differences you know exist.
Jesus wants us to stand out. He wants us to be different than the rest of the world, but not in a weird way, but in the Word way.
As Jesus prays for his disciples he asks the Spirit of God to “sanctify” them, that is “set them apart.” It wouldn’t be by how they looked, what culture they embraced, or the language they spoke. It would be by the Word that was proclaimed to them and was working in them.
John 17:15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.
Easy to say. Hard to do.
The Word of God is counter to many things our secular culture proclaims as truth. To say there are only two genders may not be popular. To say there is only one way to heaven and it is through Jesus Christ may come across as narrow minded. To claim that all are sinful at birth instead of naturally good, doesn’t sit well with many.
What we believe and what we do and how we live will always be different than the world.
But when we do, we are seeing the answer to Jesus’ prayer.
And that’s what makes us stand out…in a good way.
Apply: What area of life have you been blending in instead of fully living in and by the Word of God? Ask God for boldness to overcome fear and live as one who stands out and stands up for the truth of God’s Word.
Prayer: Father forgive me when I blend in and am not bold to stand out as you desire. Empower me to always live by your word of truth…even when it is very different than the world around me. AMEN.
Comfort or Combat?
(Devotions this week based on Sunday’s Message: Pray Like Jesus! Pray for Spiritual Protection! – CLICK HERE)
Comfort or Combat?
Which are you preparing for?
We work so that we can go home and relax. We fix our homes as we want them to support our hobbies, time off and recreation. We work so we have enough money to retire so we can relax and spend time traveling.
Nothing inherently wrong with these things.
However, do we carry the same mindset in our spiritual lives?
Are we engaging in things spiritual so we can find rest and relaxation from any spiritual challenges or conflict?
Is our expectation that the more time we spend with Jesus and his Word that the easier life will be? Do we subconsciously read the Bible or attend a worship service to find out from the Bible how life will be better and easier if we are connected to Jesus?
And then life doesn’t get easier or more comfortable.
How do you react?
Do you get angry at God? Disillusioned that life didn’t get more comfortable because you were connected to Jesus?
Perhaps we were preparing for the wrong thing…in fact, if we are preparing for comfort, we are preparing for the wrong thing.
We must prepare for combat.
As a pastor, I was once challenged with this question as it relates to my preaching, “Are you preparing your listeners for Christian comfort or Christian combat?”
Jesus never focused on preparing his disciples for comfort. In fact just the opposite. Jesus prepared his disciples for combat…not with people, but with the forces of Satan and all those that would want to discourage, dissuade or distract the disciples from their mission of proclaiming Jesus.
Matthew 10:17 Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues.
The disciples knew that the life of the Christian was one of spiritual combat. The Apostle Peter knew that well. Even as Jesus prayed for him, he still fell to the temptation of denying Jesus.
Luke 22:31 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”
Peter’s faith did not fail. He fell but he got up to fight again. Knowing that following Jesus was one of spiritual combat instead of spiritual comfort, he taught his readers, including me and you.
1 Peter 5:8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
Jesus knew that the life of the Christian was one of spiritual combat. So he prays for protection for all who are engaging in the battle against Satan and one’s sinful flesh that desire the demise of all of us.
Thankfully the Father hears the prayer of Jesus and protects the hearts of his people from the attacks of Satan.
Apply: Where does Satan attack you? What happens in your spiritual life when you are preparing for comfort over combat?
Prayer: Lord, equip us to engage in spiritual battle against Satan. In your mercy, give us power to fight and strength to win every engagement with the enemies of Satan, my sinful nature, and the world around me. Thank you Lord for every victory you give us through Jesus! AMEN.
(Devotions this week based on Sunday’s Message: Pray Like Jesus! Pray for Spiritual Protection! – CLICK HERE)
Good morning devotions readers!
First an apology for not getting the readings posted for last week while we were on vacation.
Second, thank you to Pastor Dan Laitinen, missionary of the TELL Network which brings Jesus to the world through digital means, for filling in the last two weeks and continuing the series “Pray Like Jesus.”
Jesus’ prayer in John 17 is a powerful prayer which communicates what is on Jesus’ mind the night before he went to the cross. Fully understanding the impact of this moment in time, Jesus prays for those that would be carrying the importance of this message to the world.
Even in Jesus’ day there were those that would want to “cancel” the disciples and “censor” anything that spoke of Jesus as the Savior. In fact, behind the effort was Satan himself. If demise could come to the disciples, the movement and message would die. One of the twelve was already “doomed to destruction” because Satan had changed his heart from following Jesus to filling his pockets.
Jesus didn’t want to lose any more.
So he prays: (John 17:11-12)
11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me.
The name of the Lord is more powerful than any entity in heaven or on earth.
Luke 10:17 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”
Satan has to submit to the name of the Lord.
So the ultimate protection from spiritual demise is to stay connected to the Lord.
Attaching ourselves to anything but the Lord leaves us open to spiritual attack. Satan loves to tempt our loyalty. He puts threats in front of us because we are connected to Jesus. He loves to get us to think that friendships, relationships, or life itself is more important than connection to the Lord. The temptations can come in the form of a promotion at work that takes us away from gathering in worship with the Lord and other believers. Satan can put in front of us a fear that a relationship will fail if we fully live our calling as a follower of Christ. The material things of this world call for our time and attention to use or to collect. As a result our connection to the Lord is strained or disconnected.
If Satan can get us away from the Lord, he can diminish those that will witness to and follow the Lord.
That can be you and me.
Jesus knows this and so he prays for his disciples and at the same time prays for us.
We need spiritual protection.
So as Jesus prays, he invites us to pray for the very same thing:
Father, protect us by your name. Protect those we love by the power of your name.
Apply: What temptations does Satan use to separate you from your connection to the Lord?
Prayer: Holy Father, protect us by the power of your name, the name you gave us, so that they may be one as we are one. Keep us safe from the temptations Satan brings so we may never be separated from your love. AMEN.
The work’s not done…
(Devotions this week based on Sunday’s Message: Pray Like Jesus! Pray for Divine Glorification! – CLICK HERE)
But the work’s not done.
We love to hear the words, “Mission Accomplished,” but that doesn’t mean there isn’t more work to do. Jesus’ mission to complete the work the Father sent him to do is accomplished. Yet his work continues on this earth through us.
Our world needs more divine glorification over self-glorification.
Starting with ourselves.
It’s hard to work for the glory of God, because our sinful nature continues to pull us to work for the glory of self. When we do a good job, especially if our love language is words of affirmation, we want the recognition. When we serve hard at church, we want someone to notice. When we do something to help our neighbor, we want others to notice.
How can we tell?
When no one notices, how do you react? Does it bother you? Or do you just keep moving on? Probably more often than not, we are bothered when no one recognizes what we do. (Certainly giving affirmation and encouragement to people is also part of our Christian duty and way to express love…let’s not forget that!).
When we stop giving our best, serving others, and making an impact because no one notices, it might be an indicator that our hearts are leaning more to self-glorification instead of divine glorification.
Jesus taught his disciples and those who were listening on the mountainside, “Let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your father in heaven.”
The Apostle Paul said, “Whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God.”
The first step is to repent of the need for self-glorification.
Second is to ask the Spirit of God to keep our hearts and minds focused on divine glorification.
1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
The work of Christ is complete, yet the work to carry his message to the world continues. The world is full of self-glorification. People have sinful natures that seek self-promotion, attention, and accolades. Social media is full of attention seeking individuals who find their significance in how many people like or follow them. The glory of God in creation is overshadowed by the teaching of evolution. The glory of God in male and female, marriage and family is overshadowed by transgender ideology, easy divorce and exploitation of sex and making meaningful relationships a thing of the past.
Our world needs to once again see the glory of God. God has revealed his glory to us so that we can be his people to let the world see him!
Apply: How can you let the glory of God be seen and known today?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for being the amazing, loving, kind, and powerful God you are. As we see and marvel at your glory, may we be used by you to bring the glory of God to the world around us! AMEN
NOTE: Because of family vacation, the next two weeks of devotions will be readings of the Passion History from Holy Week. Enjoy the journey to the cross this Lenten Season!