What Jesus Did : John 17:1-3 - The Essence of Life
by Phil Ware
The Essence of Life - John 17:1-3
After Jesus said these things he looked toward heaven. Jesus prayed, "Father, the time has come. Give glory to your Son so that the Son can give glory to you. You gave the Son power over all people so that the Son could give eternal life to all those people you have given to him. And this is eternal life: that people can know you, the only true God, and that people can know Jesus Christ, the One you sent." (ERV) Full TextKey Thought
Jesus came to give us life. His goal wasn't just to prolong our life here, nor was it to just increase the quality of life here. His goal was to give us life that would endure—that would last longer than the mountains, oceans, earth, and sky. What is the secret to this life? To know God and to know his Son, Jesus Christ. This is more than just knowing facts about God and Jesus; it is a relationship and reliance on them in everyday life. It is seeking after God and finding him. It is learning to trust in him with every fiber of our being.
Today's Prayer
Holy and righteous God, my heavenly Father, please lead me to a deeper relationship with you. I want to know more about you. I also want to know you—your passion, your holiness, your might, your wisdom, and your grace. Please reveal more of yourself to me in my daily walk with you. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Today's Verses in Context
After Jesus said these things he looked toward heaven. Jesus prayed, "Father, the time has come. Give glory to your Son so that the Son can give glory to you. You gave the Son power over all people so that the Son could give eternal life to all those people you have given to him. And this is eternal life: that people can know you, the only true God, and that people can know Jesus Christ, the One you sent. I finished the work you gave me to do. I brought you glory on earth. And now, Father, give me glory with you. Give me the glory I had with you before the world was made. "You gave me some men from the world. I have shown them what you are like. Those men belonged to you, and you gave them to me. They have obeyed your teaching. Now they know that everything you gave me comes from you. I gave these men the teachings that you gave me. They accepted those teachings. They know that I truly came from you. And they believed that you sent me. I pray for them now. I am not praying for the people in the world. But I am praying for these men you gave me, because they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And my glory is seen in these men. Now I am coming to you. I will not stay in the world now. But these men are still in the world. Holy Father, keep them safe. Keep them safe by the power of your name (the name you gave me), so that they will be one, the same as you and I are one. While I was with them, I kept them safe. I kept them safe by the power of your name—the name you gave me. I protected them. And only one of them was lost—the man (Judas) that chose to be lost. He was lost so that what was said in the Scriptures would happen.-- John 17:1-12 (ERV)
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