Heavenly Father, who is like Thee? I have search all around me and see none like Thee, when I consider the work of your hand and all You have made, Lord I bow before You and say there is none like You, no one can touch my life the way You do.
Men may be weary of us but You can never be. Men may ask us to come next time but You answer us each time we call on Your Name. Lord we say thank You for Your unfailing Love, Protection, Provisions, Healing and above all for Your Favour that lift a man from the dungeon to mountain top, from prison to palace. O! Lord we bless Your Name for ever and ever.
Beloved, before Jesus went to the cross, He prayed for us, He did not leave us comfortless, He intercedes for us so that none given Him by His father will be missing. Up until now, I see experience this guiding jealously principle in the life of Christ in my life. Each time I am at the cross road of life, I will hear a voice or a sign showing me where to go. Peradventure, I have taken a path and I want to still confer His presence, He is always available to lead me. I don’t know whether you are experiencing this but I believe that every child of God should.
Today we are going to consider this portion of the bible verse by verse and discover more to guide us in lives and ministries.
Six Discipling Principles From The Life Of Christ In John 17 That We Can Also Apply:
1. Jesus’ first concern was for the glory of the Father and the Son: “Father… Glorify Your Son, that Your Son may glorify You.“(John 17:1; also verses 5, 10, 24)
Therefore, everything we do in the ministry must focus on Him rather than us. (Galatians 6:14)
2. Jesus appropriated His God-given authority in order to do the ministry: “For You granted [Christ] authority over all people…”(John 17:2)
Therefore, as sent ones, we must not be deterred by the fear or opposition of man. (John 20:21; Proverbs 29:25)
3. Jesus was given men as a gift from the Father: “I have revealed You to those whom You gave Me out of the world. They were Yours; You gave them to Me…”(John 17:6; also verse 2)
Therefore, we are to prayerfully ask God to give us the people whom we are to disciple.
4. Jesus’ mission was to get people into an intimate relationship with Himself and the Father: “Now this is eternal life: that they may know You… and Jesus Christ… I have revealed You to those whom You gave Me out of the world.“(John 17:3, 6; also verses 21-23)
Therefore, we must focus on developing intimacy with God over engagement in activities.
5. Jesus recognized the centrality of God’s Word in His disciples’ spiritual growth: “I gave them the words You gave Me and they accepted them… Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth.“(John 17:8, 17; also verses 5 and 14)
Therefore, we are to make every effort to build God’s Word into our disciples’ lives. (Acts 20:32)
6. Jesus’ disciples came to understand that they were to be “in” the world but not “of ” the world: “The world has hated them… My prayer is not that You take them out of the world but that You protect them from the evil one… As You sent Me into the world, I have sent them into the world.“(John 17:14, 15, 18; also verse 11)
Therefore, we must prepare our disciples to utilize the weapons of spiritual warfare in order to win over the enemy in his territory. (Ephesians 6:10-18)
Dear reader, are you blessed with the above excerptions from the gospel of John? You should recalled that was the prayer of Jesus for all His chosen ones, it is so important that we pay great attention to it if we must fulfill our ministry where ever God has place you to serve Him (Col 3:17; Deut 28:58).
We must daily confess the love of God as His beloveth children both in words and in deeds. For He love us even before we love Him and He offered His best for us, will you be willing to do same? Come along with me to see if thy love is as strong as that remunerated below:
“The upright love Thee” Song 1:4
Believers love Jesus with a deeper affection then they dare to give to any other being. They would sooner lose father and mother then part with Christ. They hold all earthly comforts with a loose hand, but they carry Him fast locked in their bosoms.
They voluntarily deny themselves for His sake, but they are not to be driven to deny Him. It is scant love which the fire of persecution can dry up; the true believer’s love is a deeper stream than this. Men have laboured to divide the faithful from their Master, but their attempts have been fruitless in every age. Neither crowns of honour, now frowns of anger, have untied this more than Gordian knot.
This is no every-day attachment which the world’s power may at length dissolve. Neither man nor devil have found a key which opens this lock. Never has the craft of Satan been more at fault than when he has exercised it in seeking to rend in sunder this union of two divinely welded hearts. It is written, and nothing can blot out the sentence, “The upright love Thee.”
The intensity of the love of the upright, however, is not so much to be judged by what it appears as by what the upright long for. It is our daily lament that we cannot love enough. Would that our hearts were capable of holding more, and reaching further. Like Samuel Rutherford, we sigh and cry, “Oh, for as much love as would go round about the earth, and over heaven—yea, the heaven of heavens, and ten thousand worlds—that I might let all out upon fair, fair, only fair Christ.” Alas! our longest reach is but a span of love, and our affection is but as a drop of a bucket compared with His deserts.
Measure our love by our intentions, and it is high indeed; ’tis thus, we trust, our Lord doth judge of it. Oh, that we could give all the love in all hearts in one great mass, a gathering together of all loves to Him who is altogether lovely! (Jer 17:10; Ps 148:4).
Beloved, hope you will consider the above during your quite time this weekend? The Spirit of God will guide you into all truth.
Remain blessed in the Lord.
