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(Read John 17:23-24)
This morning we continue our series “Grace that is Simply Amazing” by continuing to teach on “Minimizing Your Humanity and Maximizing Your Divinity.” A couple of weeks ago I introduced you to what I consider to be the actual “Lord’s prayer.” It is a prayer Jesus prayed in John chapter 17. We have almost studied our way through the entire chapter. Today we will look at verses 23 and 24.
Jesus prayed, “I will be in them, and you will be in me. So they will be completely one. Then the world will know that you sent me and that you loved them just as you loved me. Father, I want these people you have given me to be with me in every place I am. I want them to see my glory—the glory you gave me because you loved me before the world was made.”
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. God loves you just as much as He loved His own Son. While praying to the Father Jesus said, “The world will know that you sent me and that you loved them just as you loved me.” There is no question that Jesus was loved by the Father. And if you read the Bible, it should be very clear that the Father loves you as well. However, I am convinced that many believers grossly underestimate the love God has for them. In Jesus’ words we see that the Father loves us JUST AS MUCH as He loved Jesus Himself. You are not second-rate or second-fiddle to God. You are His child and He loves you just as much as He loved Jesus. Not because you are perfect, not because you always do what He says, but only because of His grace. When you accept that, your perspective of God will change and your personal self-image will change also, because you will see yourself the way God sees you.
2. The Father loved you before the world began. While praying to the Father Jesus said, “You loved me before the world was made.” We just learned that the Father loves you just as much as He loved Jesus. Well, if He loved Jesus before the world was made, He loved you before the world was made. Before you were ever even a thought in your parent’s minds, the Father loved you enough to think about you, to plan for your arrival, to fashion your purpose, to prepare all the gifts He knew you would need in order to maximize that purpose, and He even went to the extent of setting up key divine appointments for you (along the way), that would help you become the person He destined you to be. God did all of this because He loves you and He did it by grace.
3. The Father wants to glorify Himself through you. Jesus prayed for the people who were following Him everywhere He went. He wanted the people to be around to see what He was called, appointed and anointed to do, because He knew the Father would be glorified by them seeing it. In the same way, the Father gets glory when you are noticed, acknowledged, recognized and rewarded for doing what you are graced to do in the earth. Earlier Jesus prayed, “Glorify me, that I may glorify thee.” There is nothing wrong with that type of prayer. The Father wants you to prosper. He wants your projects to succeed. He wants your name to be great. He wants your reputation to be stellar. Why? Because He is then able to be glorified through you. He gets no glory out of the life of a person who claims to be His child, but who miserably fails at everything they put their hands to do. But when you seek God, when you do things the way He wants you to do them, when you walk in integrity and work with tireless energy, everything you put your hands to do will prosper (see Joshua 1:8 & Psalm 1) and the Father will be glorified through your life and living.
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for teaching me more and more about Your grace and love. The more I learn about Your love towards me, the more confidence I build up towards You. There was a time when I was afraid of You, but that time has come and gone. I reverence You, but I am not afraid of You. I am not afraid, because I know You me. You love me JUST AS MUCH as You loved Jesus. You loved me before the world began. You made plans for me before my mother met my father. You set up divine appointments for me before I ever took a step on this planet. When I think about the awesomeness of Your love towards me, I can’t help but want to glorify You in the earth. So Father, I meditate on Your love and Your Word day and night. I let Your Word be the ruler by which I judge my decisions. I let Your Spirit lead, guide and direct me every day. I am determined to live the life You destined me to live. Therefore, I have no problem asking You to bless the work of my hands. I declare, by faith, that everything I put my hands to do prospers. I am blessed in my going and I am blessed in my doing. Your blessing in on me to succeed in every area of my life. And Father, like Jesus, I have no problem asking for You to make my success public. As people see me, and as they recognize and reward my success, they will see You and You will be glorified, because I am will make it known that Jesus is my Lord and my success comes NOT by my power, but by Your grace! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
