One of a Kind

John 17
And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God,
and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.  John 17:3


LET IT GLOW

Knowing God through experience is different from having a head knowledge
about Him.

In Blackabys' book,"Experiencing God Day By Day":

Jesus' prayer was that you would come to know God and His presence in
your life and experience. Don't settle for a head knowledge of God's love.
Jesus prayed that you would experience the depth and width and height of
His love and that you would enjoy God's full and unending love in the 
day-to-day experiences of your life.

How wonderful it is to know someone is praying for me, especially when you
I am having a specific problem or issue that is very challenging. It adds to my
confidence that Jesus is talking to the Father about it and for me.

This chapter is Jesus' prayer to the Father before His crucifixion and leaving
His disciples. Let's see what He specifically prayed for.

First, Jesus prayed for His disciples and future ones. (verse 20)
He knew the world would hate His followers because we are not
of the world, and it hated Him, too. (verse 14)

Next, Jesus prayed that God would keep His disciples and us from evil and
that He would sanctify us through God's truth, the Word. (verses 15,17)
"Jesus is continually interceding with the Father on your behalf for strong
protection from evil," says Henry Blackaby. (from the same book as above)

Also, Jesus prayed for Himself to glorify God. (verse 1) This was part of His
mission.

Last, Jesus prayed that God's love may be in us and He prayed for our unity.
(verse 25-26)
"As the Father expressed His love for a broken and sinful world, this passion
was manifested through the life of His Son. Jesus recognized that no ordinary
love could motivate Him to go to the cross. Only His Father's love was
powerful enough to compel Him to commit His life to the saving purpose of
His Father. You cannot forgive others or go the extra mile with others or
sacrifice for others unless you have first been filled with the boundless love of
God," says Blackaby. (from the same book as above)

Jesus was one of a kind. No one ever was like Him and no one will ever be
like Him. So if I want to be like Jesus, I need to pray for others, pray that my
life glorifies the Father, allow God's love to overflow in me, and be in unity
with others.


LET IT GROW

Jesus prayed that we will know and believe that God sent Him and know that
he loves us. (verses 20-23)

Also, Jesus prayed that God would sanctify them  through His truth, which is
the Word. (verse 17)
The word sanctify means set apart. Jesus wants us to be different from the
world, a peculiar people, according to 1 Peter 2:9. He wants us to be
recognizable as His followers. The problem with lots of people is that they
want to be like everyone else and not stand out in the crowd.


LET IT GO

Jesus, give me strength to be unique and peculiar for You.

Help me to keep praying for my brothers and sisters in the faith.

I want to glorify the Father, love others, and be in unity with them.