Perfected In Unity
Scripture Passage: John 17:20-26 (NASB)
20 “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; 21 that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.
22 The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; 23 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. 24 Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
25 “O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; 26 and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”
SUMMARY
In this passage, Jesus is interceding for the disciples and the ones who will come to believe through their word. Jesus prays to God that we may ALL be one, just as Jesus is in the Father, and the Father is in Jesus, that we ALL may be in Them. Jesus also asks that we become one in His glory, so that we may be perfected in unity and share in His love.
MEDITATION & REFLECTION
By reading this short yet reiterative message, I thought to myself, it’s so simple and basic. Very easy. Jesus intercedes for all of us who believe, that we may share in His glory and in His love in perfect unity. I thought, “Great, Jesus does all the work.” And then I thought to myself, “Hm… am I worthy to take part in His perfect unity? Is it really that simple and that easy?” Truly believing in Jesus, having an unshakable faith of 100% certainty, truly loving God with unwavering faithfulness, and truly loving others - all that God has brought around me - with the unconditional and pure love that Jesus gave me. “Am I in perfect unity, and flawlessly aligned with His holy glory and perfect love?” Then I thought, “Jesus does His part, the Father does His part, but am I doing my part?”
APPLICATION
Checking my heart, I had to repent over and over again for so many little things, from reactions to attitudes to thoughts in my heart, realizing how short I have fallen this week in prioritizing loving God’s children. I thought about how hard it is to love His children as we are all different and I cannot fathom what they are thinking and why they do what they do, the way they do it. I hope to be renewed in His mercy so I can patiently and kindly trust, hope, and persevere in His love. I ought to love just as He always loves me in His faithfulness.
PRAYER
I pray for those we struggle to love, those who challenge us, those whom we disagree with, those who don’t understand us, those who have different perspectives than us. I pray that we can see what they see, in order to work out areas of friction and misunderstanding. I pray that we can see those whom we struggle to love through Jesus’ lens, with His heart of compassion, and that we can love the way God intended us to love. I pray that we can be pure in heart like children, so we can share in His perfect unity, see His glory, and live in His love.
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