One of the sweetest and most challenging passages in Scripture is Jesus' praying for His disciples--the prayer that includes us. It is a plea for unity that brings the very glory of God into this world. It is a prayer we must love and embrace! To see its power and beauty, the dark backdrop of Gethsemane is perfect.
Christ said to those who came to arrest him, "This is your hour and the power of darkness." Jesus submitted Himself to that hour and to that power for the 'joy' set before Him. When Jesus prayed for you and I, He said it was for the purpose of seeing His joy fulfilled in us. I had to dig a bit to grasp that word. His joy is rooted in the grace of God and finds its fulfillment in the future--and in us. When the disciples asked Jesus, 'Shall we fight with the sword?', he said 'Suffer this.' Phew. Sometimes we are called to endure an hour of darkness but it is for the revelation of His glory! What a privilege to be united in that!
I spent some time looking at glory, too. The Father is glorified by the fruit in our lives. He pays individual attention to us, helping us produce fruit. Jesus is glorified by the Spirit who receives from Christ and reveals everything He receives to us! Our lives, unified with the Almighty, create a circle of glory that can only come from unity. The Father, Son and Spirit work for us, in us and with us to reveal the glory of God to a dark world.
One last piece to tie this together and expand on the beauty of unity: Jesus said the love God has for Him is the love that is within us (for Christ is in us). Do you recall what God said about Christ at His baptism? "This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased." Unity involves us feeling those words in our heart--and realizing they are spoken to all who bear the name of Christ. May our joy be full today as we hear in our hearts 'God is pleased with you!' And let us speak of those words to others that they will feel His touch of grace too.
Christ said to those who came to arrest him, "This is your hour and the power of darkness." Jesus submitted Himself to that hour and to that power for the 'joy' set before Him. When Jesus prayed for you and I, He said it was for the purpose of seeing His joy fulfilled in us. I had to dig a bit to grasp that word. His joy is rooted in the grace of God and finds its fulfillment in the future--and in us. When the disciples asked Jesus, 'Shall we fight with the sword?', he said 'Suffer this.' Phew. Sometimes we are called to endure an hour of darkness but it is for the revelation of His glory! What a privilege to be united in that!
One last piece to tie this together and expand on the beauty of unity: Jesus said the love God has for Him is the love that is within us (for Christ is in us). Do you recall what God said about Christ at His baptism? "This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased." Unity involves us feeling those words in our heart--and realizing they are spoken to all who bear the name of Christ. May our joy be full today as we hear in our hearts 'God is pleased with you!' And let us speak of those words to others that they will feel His touch of grace too.
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