Day 2
The passage I read was
John 17:13-21
You can find that
passage here:
My summary of the passage
is this:
I just cannot seem to summarize this passage no matter what
I try. I end up making it longer every
time I put it in my words.
The verse that most stood out to me was verse 15. In this verse Jesus says, “I do not pray that
You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the
evil one.”
As I reflect:
Two things really stood
out to me in this passage. One was all
about our separation from the world and how that works. The other was all about our unity with other
believers and how that works. Together
the two are communicating a clarifying message regarding our purpose as
believers. I read that we are not being
prayed for by Jesus that we would be taken out of the world but rather that we
would be kept from the evil one. I believe
this is clarifying to the many that have surrounded themselves by Christians
and only attend Christian events and only go to places where other Christians
are and only do “Christian” things. If
you are one of these people, you have given me a very bad rep with the
world. You see when someone hears that I
am a Christian, they often immediately define me as someone who thinks I’m
better than them and that I’m too breakable (like fine china) to be around them
and their activities. And while we are
not to sin or to allow the temptations of the evil one to enter into our
hearts, this is not an indication that we are to hide from the evil that is in
the world. Quite the opposite in
fact. We are the hands and feet of the
Lord here. Though we are not “of” the
world, we are “in” it and with good purpose meant to be. If the only things we do and the only places
we go are all labeled as “Christian”, then how to we take part in the great
commission and reach out to others? How
are we to witness and help those in need if we are wrapped up in our “Christian
Bubble” as it were? I believe that we
need to ship out into the storms that thrash this way and that and know that
Jesus is here with us through His Holy Spirit and we have nothing to fear
because He is the ships guide. We are as a ship is to be in the ocean, but not allowing the
ocean to be in the ship. We can’t reach
those that we shut our eyes to and plug our ears to. Jesus doesn’t pray for an easy life for us
here. He prays that we would unify as
believers and get the job done without the hindrance of the evil one. He prays the Lord’s empowering upon us.
My response to the
Lord:
Lord God, I come before you now knowing that I am in the
wrong sooo often. I have a problem and
you know that I confess it to you and seek your guidance and help daily. I do not often fall into judgment of the
world. As a matter of fact, you know
that I am seeking to love the lost. My
sin; my failure is far too often that I will judge my fellow believer due to
their worldly view. I become angry
because I feel that my fellow believer
often lives just like the unbeliever or because they are so “Christian” they
can’t get off their high chair to reach out to the lost. Lord I spend so much time judging my fellow
believer that I forget that you have called me to unify with them. This is hard for me Father. This is my challenge. God, I pray you forgive me for this and not
judge me as I have judged others or I should surely be killed. Forgive me and help me to be forgiving of
other believers as well. Father please
separate judgment from discernment in me that I may better unify and work the
harvest with my brother and sister.
Father, I am making an effort, but I need your help. I need you to multiply my efforts to see my
brethren as you see them. My human eyes
are getting in the way far too often and I know I need this fellowship and
unity to properly do your will. I know
that you have set up the networking of believers in just such a way that it
benefits us to spend time with one another.
Holy Spirit, guide me daily in remembering your call on me to unify with
other believers that we may together do your will here. In Jesus name.
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