Jesus is at the right hand of the Father interceding for us. He lives to pray for us. We get a sample of how Christ prays for us in John 17. Let me give you a taste this morning:
John 17.17-18, 21- Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world... that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
He is praying for us to be effective in reaching others for Christ. He knows what it will take for us to be an effective witness, and those priorities are reflected in his prayer.
He prays that we will be made holy by His Word. Now the only way that His Word can set us apart from others is for us to spend time in His Word, apply His Truth to our lives, and come back to those basics each and every day.
He prays that we will be one in purpose and priority. There is a lot that makes our lives busy, our calendars busy, and, yes, our chuch calendars busy. However, if we would ponder why we do what we do everytime we do it, we will use our time and energy more effectively for the key purposes in our lives. Christ prayed that His People would be one, and I am convinced that as long as we keep the main thing as the main thing, there will be less confusion, clearer decisions, and a focus on a simple and stronger purpose.
He prays that our witness will be effective by being set apart for His Purpose. It is powerful to me to know that Christ prays for me. I am challenged to know that a key part of that prayer is that I am molded and made set apart by spending time in His Word. I am also challenged to know the high priority He places on the unity of the believers. Christ believes we will be ineffective without it. That is a strong message. However, lastly and most of our all, I am humbled, challenged, and honored that His key purpose for all of this is that others would come to Him through my testimony and by my outreach.
Folks, let's not be self-centered during the celebration of Christmas and the bringing in of a new year. Let's not even be family-centered, although I am excited about the opportunity to spend time with family. Let's be God-centered. He prays that we are, and let's be an effective witness for Him in the process.
I hope you have a blessed and Merry Christmas. I will be reading God's Word each morning, but not writing on it during the Christmas week. Let's get back together after the New Year. At that point we will be talking about a special way to prepare ourselves for Easter. 2013 will be a great year in God's Word. I look forward to it. Thanks for reading and I'll be writing to you next year.
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