Sense out of the senseless?
Three children. Three staff. Dead.
“I can’t believe that someone would do that. It’s like a movie.”
What played out on our TV screens and on our media posts is not a movie, but another senseless killing of innocent school teachers and children. Three families are grieving the loss of their children. Three families grieving the loss of their parents.
It doesn’t make sense. It does make sense.
In reflecting on the prayer Jesus prayed the night before he was senselessly and innocently murdered on a cross, he prays this:
John 17:24 “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.
The heart of Jesus as he prayed for his disciples and all believers was one thing. I want them to be with me where I am.
I don’t think he was praying that they would be with him as he was scourged. I don’t think he was praying that they would join him on the cross. I don’t think he was praying that they would be falsely accused and innocently killed.
He was praying that he would lose none of those the Father had given him and that all who had believed in him would be with him in the glory of heaven.
He wants all to be able to say in their final breath, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”
There is not a morning that goes by as I drop my daughter off to school, that evil incarnate could come into that school and commit sick, heinous crimes against the students and teachers of her high school. In spite of a police on staff, security measures in place, and regular intruder drills among the students, evil can enter and life can be taken.
So my prayer echos that of Jesus. I just want my daughters and my wife and I to be in heaven with Jesus. If my morning, “I love you” is the last I see of my daughter on earth, I pray it is the first of her hearing Jesus say, “Welcome home! I love you! I’m glad you’re safe with me.” I pray that if our time on earth is cut short, our reunion in heaven is long lived.
Jesus wants you to be with him. Period.
This weekend begins Holy Week. The purpose of Jesus’ ride into Jerusalem, teaching in the temple, gathering with his disciples, going on trial before the Sanhedrin and Pilate, being nailed to the cross and coming out of the tomb alive has one focus.
He loves you. He wants you to be where he is and to see his glory.
While outright evil took the life-breath from six individuals, I pray that Jesus’ prayer has been answered and another six individuals are where he is and experiencing his glory because Jesus lived, died and rose again for them.
And we grieve for the one, who appears from outward actions, will miss out on the glory of heaven forever.
Apply: A school shooting can be a sobering reminder of evil and the fragility of life. Use this event to renew your trust in Jesus, lead those you love to do the same, and pray as Jesus did that all, but especially those you love and care about, will be with him and see his glory forever.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for your love and your heart and your action that not only desires us to be with your forever, but has done everything necessary for us to be with you forever. Keep us close to you and to all those you love. AMEN.
How does unity happen?
(Devotions this week based on Sunday’s Message: Pray Like Jesus! Pray for Unified Direction! – CLICK HERE)
Ask any couple what makes a marriage work and most would say, “Communication.” In order to build oneness in a marriage, communication has to take place. Not just words about what is happening, but words that express emotion and understanding. Words must communicate what is important and how one feels. Words can communicate love and joy or sadness and frustration. Whatever the words are, they are spoken, God-willing, to strengthen unity.
As Jesus prays for oneness among all those that believe in him, he gives insight into how that unity is built…through words…his words.
Jesus prays for “all those who would believe in him through their message.” The message to which he is referring is the word of truth that he communicated and committed to his disciples. It was the Word that would set them apart and give them all they needed to carry out the work of bringing Jesus to the world.
“Sanctify them by the truth, your word is truth.” (John 17:17)
Oneness is superficial if not built on the Word of God.
In the Christian world, there has been a movement called the “Ecumenical Movement.” This movement seems to have gained traction after the devastation and division of World War II. One of the leaders in this movement became the World Council of Churches (WCC). The stated purpose of this collective group of church was to promote “unity, peace, and justice” in the world. Their efforts have been lobbying for racial justice, civil rights and more recently climate legislation. A keynote speaker at the 70th anniversary of the WCC stated this:
70, 50, 20 years of walking and together in and for unity, peace, and justice: this long pilgrimage of faith is who we are and what we do, namely: praying, walking, working and remembering together as churches following in Jesus’ steps toward a better world, one that more closely hews to Jesus’ vision of God’s reign on earth.*
While working toward unity, peace and justice is not inherently wrong, it is not at the heart of Jesus’ vision for his church on earth. The Church has as it’s primary purpose to bring the Gospel of Jesus to the hearts of people. God’s ultimate will is the salvation of souls. Jesus himself said, “My kingdom is not of this world.” While unity may be built around shared efforts to bring unity, peace and justice to the world and take steps to make the world a better place, it is not, I believe, what Jesus was praying for when he prayed that “they may all be one.” Because for the sake of unity in this area are churches that deny the inspiration of Scripture, that discount the full redemptive work of Jesus Christ, or dismiss the teachings of Creation, baptism and Lord’s supper as non-fundamental teachings of the Scripture. The compromise is the truth of the Scripture to bring about collective efforts to address the worlds problems. What is missed in the effort to build unity, is that unity is built when ALL of God’s Words are expressed as important and the main focus of the Church is to bring the Gospel to the hearts of people. Unity is not measured by external cooperation, it is measured by internal agreement to all the words which God has spoken to us.
This type of unity takes work. It takes effort to have direct and challenging conversations about what God’s Word says. It is not always popular to uphold teaching that goes against culture. It is not well received when the absolute truth and the single way to heaven is taught.
But then unity comes through conversation…so like you do in marriage, take time to communicate. When God’s Word is the center of that communication, the Spirit can create true and lasting unity.
Apply: Where have you experienced superficial unity? Where have you experienced true oneness? What was the difference?
Prayer: Lord thank you for your Word. Help me to always use it to build oneness with others around me. AMEN.
Oneness is difficult.
(Devotions this week based on Sunday’s Message: Pray Like Jesus! Pray for Unified Direction! – CLICK HERE)
Oneness is hard to achieve and hard to maintain.
We can be in the same room and not be one.
We can be in a relationship and not be one.
We can work for the same company and not be one.
Jesus prayed for all those who would believe in him through the message of his disciples to be one. I don’t know if I really grasp fully what he is praying for as it is, in my opinion, so hard to experience in life.
The first example that comes to mind is Adam and Eve in the garden. The lack of sin in their lives allowed them to live in full harmony with God and with each other. God would walk in the garden with them and interact with them. There was no fear of each other or threat of harm. While we know very little of this time, however the perception of “it was good” was a perfect harmony between God and Adam and Eve and Adam and Eve and God.
Sin created division.
Perhaps we can sense the reality of a lack of oneness more than describe what oneness is. When Adam and Eve chose to eat of the fruit of which God had told them not to, there was an immediate break in oneness. Adam and Eve hid from God. Fear was a new emotion that kept them from engaging in a daily walk together. Adam blamed God for Eve and Eve blamed the serpent. Blaming was a new activity in that marriage and in the relationship with God. Pain and heartache were new consequences. A quick read of Genesis 4-6 and one realizes the oneness of the Garden deteriorated rapidly to a self-centered oneness that engaged in evil and wickedness. The issue was the heart of mankind had drifted from a love of God to a love of self.
God seeks oneness.
A key starting point to understanding ‘oneness’ is God himself.
Deuteronomy 6:4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.”
Even though throughout Scriptures, God reveals himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, there is no division between each person of the godhead. They are unified in being – each fully God. They are unified in proclamation – they all say the same thing. They are unified in purpose – bringing salvation to all mankind.
Jesus gives examples:
John 5:19 Jesus gave them this answer: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.
John 8:27 They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. 28 So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am the one I claim to be and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.
The oneness God experiences and expresses as God is what Jesus is desiring all believers to experience.
Let’s just say, we have work to do!
Apply: How do you see the oneness of the Trinity play out in the oneness shared by believers?
PRAYER: Father, thank you for being one with the Son and the Spirit. Give us insights into the oneness you exhibit as God so that we might experience a small glimpse of that with fellow believers. AMEN.
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.