The Hatfield and McCoy feud may be the first form of the Mafia in America. The family name was protected at all cost. The name Kennedy caries the reputation of political influence and power. The name Walton to some brings the image of a two story farm house on the side of a mountain. To others it brings the image of the Wal-Mart corporation, one of the most successful china of stores in America.. The name Judas immediately produces the thought of betrayal as does the name Benedict Arnold.
Names are not simply a way we distinguish between one another. They carry our reputations, good or bad.
In Jesus' prayer he told the Father that he had kept the disciples by the Father's name and asks the Father to continue to keep them by his name (John 27:11-12). There undoubtedly is more to this, but at minimum it means, as the disciples understood who the Father was they craved to be with him.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
A Special Kind of Prayer
Jesus told the Father, "I pray for them, I do not pray for the world" (John 17:9, 20). His prayers were specifically for his children and those who would eventually believe in him. The things he prays here belong only to believers.
Jesus did not stop praying for us after this prayer in the 17th chapter of John. Paul writ pets that he is still making intercession for his children (Romans 8:34).
Jesus is talking to the Father on you behalf today.
Jesus did not stop praying for us after this prayer in the 17th chapter of John. Paul writ pets that he is still making intercession for his children (Romans 8:34).
Jesus is talking to the Father on you behalf today.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Our Focus
We understand through Jesus' prayer that all the gifts, the ministry, the teachings come from the Father. "They have known that all things which you have given me are from you" (John 17:7). James tells us, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning" (James 1:17).
Life's experiences can cloud the fact that God loves us personally. When this happens we can become discouraged, depressed, angry or resentful. The disciples were about to face all those feelings in less than 24 hours. Jesus had been preparing them for this time of pitch black darkness for the last few days and hours.
His prayer reminds them and us to return our focus to the eternal when the temporal overpowers our thoughts.
Life's experiences can cloud the fact that God loves us personally. When this happens we can become discouraged, depressed, angry or resentful. The disciples were about to face all those feelings in less than 24 hours. Jesus had been preparing them for this time of pitch black darkness for the last few days and hours.
His prayer reminds them and us to return our focus to the eternal when the temporal overpowers our thoughts.
Monday, May 28, 2012
The Father's
"I have manifested your name to the men whom you have given me out of this world. They were yours, you gave them to me...(John 17:6)."
These are precious words. They reveal the heart of the Father toward us. He choose us. He wanted us to be reconciled with him. He allowed his son to go through crucifixion so that we could be his sons and daughters.
He is not going to reject us now. He is not human. He does not Lie. He does not play with our minds. He does not deceive. He does not say one thing and mean another. He is trustworthy. If he says we are his, then we are his (Numbers 23:19).
These are precious words. They reveal the heart of the Father toward us. He choose us. He wanted us to be reconciled with him. He allowed his son to go through crucifixion so that we could be his sons and daughters.
He is not going to reject us now. He is not human. He does not Lie. He does not play with our minds. He does not deceive. He does not say one thing and mean another. He is trustworthy. If he says we are his, then we are his (Numbers 23:19).
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