John 17

One of the most significant prayers of ALL TIME can b read n less than 3 minutes.John17 captures this prayer,which is also the longest recorded prayer of Jesus!1st thing this makes me realize is how many times I have not gone to The Lord n prayer because I thought I didn’t have enough to say,or my “list” was was too short & I needed to “wait” to have more to talk w The Lord about....that I needed “more material” before God would “give me an audience” b4 His Throne...that my prayer would not b eloquent enough,etc.Jesus dispels this with His models of prayer.At a “moments notice” we see Jesus turning to God The Father n brief prayers,with issues that were on his heart at that moment.This indicates an intimate relationship w God The Father that made Jesus’ “brief praying” significant.How did Jesus,God Incarnate,have this kind of intimacy w The Father?There r prayers&times that Jesus went someplace to have personal time w  The Father where the intimacy between Father-Son-Spirit were nurtured by Jesus,God Incarnate(Matthew4:1,”...Jesus was led by the Spirit n2 the wilderness....fasting 40 days & 40 nights..”Matt4:42,”At daybreak Jesus went out to a solitary place.”Mark1:35,”And rising very early n the morning,while still dark,he(Jesus)departed & went out 2 a desolate place.&there he prayed.”Mark6:15,”...Jesus again withdrew to the mountain by himself.”And when Jesus went n2 The Garden of Gethsemane to pray).Jesus sets the example for a life that feels secure n coming to Our Father God to talk about what’s on our heart-secure n a personal relationship w God that enables us 2 come 2 HIM as a child comes to their earthly father.So the 2nd thing this makes me realize is that I am either not having the kind of “quality time” w God that Jesus models for us,or I am letting something come between me and the Love that my Father n Heaven has for me(the Love that would never turn me away!),the Love that is always pleased w me climbing up into HIS LAP carrying what is heavy on my heart at that moment.Dear Lord,I want Your Help...so I will always have a childlike security&confidence n coming to YOU as my Father n Heaven.Draw me to significant personal times with You that nurture this n my life,& help me to know the true desires of my heart that only You can speak w me about at any moment...that You want me to crawl up n2 Your Lap of Prayer w, at any moment.

John 16:13-15

When we turn to Christ to save us from the penalties of sin,& then truly seek to know Him as Lord n our life...a metamorphosis begins when we graft our lives into a life of total dependency on nothing other than what only Christ can provide through His Life;His Sufferings;His Death;His Resurrection;&His Ascension to the very Throne of God.Jesus says n John16:13-15 that The METAMORPHOSIS begins, “When the Spirit of Truth comes(the Holy Spirit comes into our life when trust Christ alone to save us from sin) he will not speak of his own authority,but whatever he hears(from God our Father n Heaven) he will speak,& he will declare to you the things that r to come(TRUE wisdom&TRUE discernment).He will glorify me(in&through our lives).For he will take what is mine(All Absolute Truth/All True Discernment) & declare it to you.All that The Father has is mine;therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you”.As we hold firm to the GRAFTING of our lives to Christ through The Holy Spirit,we become increasingly more like The SOURCE of what we DEPEND on,and a METAMORPHOSIS begins of our becoming less & less like the characteristics of the World,& increasingly more like the characteristics of Christ(thereby glorifying Christ).Our hearts/thoughts/lives,which were once darkened by the shadows of sin&death,begin to have a metamorphosis that creates n us a new heart/a new thought life/a new life as king David knew he needed when he prayed n Psalm51:10-12,”Create n me a clean heart,O God,& renew a right spirit within me.Cast me not away from your presence,& take not your Holy Spirit from me.Restore to me the joy of your salvation,& uphold me with a willing spirit”.David knew that for “The Graft” that Jesus speaks of n his lesson about the Vine and the Vinedresser to take “permanent hold” on our lives we must depend on nothing but the Presence of Christ n our lives & the Guidance of The Holy Spirit...David knew this,& that is why he fervently prayed the prayer of Psalm51.David knew that his worst enemy was those parts of his own heart&life that would cling to his “old self” that lived before The METAMORPHOSIS began n his heart,his thoughts,& his life.Dear Lord,there r many areas n my heart&life that I will either cling to or try to reclaim...may The Light of Your Presence n my life clearly expose these to me,& then bless me with the same willing spirit that David prayed for...so I may always continue the process of Your metamorphosis for my life.

John 15:8-25

N John15:18-25,after teaching His disciples about how abiding n His Love would change their hearts/their minds/their lives,Jesus then warns them of how these changes in their lives and the ways they would then live,& love each other would b so foreign to the World(so contrary to the World)that His disciples would actually b hated by the World.That the way they lived&loved while abiding in Jesus’ Love would be such a reflection of the Mercy;Grace;& Holiness/Glory of God,that the World would become convicted & then angry when they see the disciples way living/loving compared to the Worlds ways of living&loving.It is not that the disciples would b condescending to,nor “preaching at” those around them with legalistic/Pharisee-like accusations and/or “religious talk”,BUT that the way the disciples lived and loved(because of their abiding n the Love of Christ)would b such a clear reflection of God’s Glory/Grace/Mercy/Righteousness/Holiness...that their lives would humbly/contritely be such a bright reflection of these characteristics of God that the Darkness&Sin of the World would b painfully exposed.When this PAIN of the World is exposed,the World will tend to react like a wounded family pet that would even bite or attack it’s loving master/owner when painfully wounded.Their is not much as unpredictable as a wounded animal/pet!The same with the World when exposure to the Mercy;Grace;Righteousness;Holiness;Glory of God reveals the darkness&pain of sin.This abiding way of living n the first century body of believers is what shook the world with a movement that saw much of the World open their hearts for the Saving Grace&Mercy of Christ to heal many of their lives from the Darkness&Pain of sin.This was such an impact to the World that our calendar was forever changed...changed by the Life of Christ&Love of Christ abiding n the followers of Christ/the disciples of Christ!Dear Lord,when I survey the small bit of the World around me,that Your Mercy;Grace;& Holiness/Glory could be having an impact on if I would just abide in The Love You have given me through the Your Mercy&Grace;through Your Word;through Your Spirit...I realize that my life falls so very short of truly abiding n Your Love for me.Lord Jesus,may Your Spirit make me draw my life to be abiding n Your Love for me more and more every day.

John 15:16

After Jesus talks about how our love for Him is expressed,Jesus gives us our first commandment/assignment before He is taken away to b crucified.Jesus gives us our primary “assignment”/“appointment”,to b empowered through our love for Jesus and our obedience to His Word!That assignment/appointment is to bear fruit.Jesus says n John15:16a,”You did not choose me,but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit”.Jesus says we have a purpose/a reason for living..., given to us by Almighty God,Our Father n Heaven->to bear much fruit.This means that our perspective for everything we do and think needs to have the ultimate question assigned to it of “what fruit is it that is growing out of my life”?And then,Jesus says that we should care about what happens to the fruit that grows out of our life when he says n Jn15:16b,”and that your fruit should abide,so that whatever you ask the Father n my name,he may give it to you”.A quick read of this verse has led many to say,”I have asked,& God hasn’t said a thing nor given me what I asked”!This is often n my heart!I have a problem that I have taken the last piece of what Jesus says and apply it totally out of context of his message n the whole verse!If we take to heart the entire APPOINTMENT that Jesus has called us to,it should turn our focus away from the mundane aspirations  for life and onto the Eternal Purposes for this life we have been GIFTED with!Jesus is calling us to b Eternally Minded!To have our hearts & minds changed from a shortsighted mundane purpose/vision,to a vision that REACHES for the ETERNAL purpose/vision for life.He says the our appointment is to bear fruit as we ABIDE n the love of Christ,& that the fruit we bear also ABIDE n the love of Christ.This ABIDING n us and in the fruit of our lives,means that our focus needs to b on how our lives r “appointed” by Jesus to have Eternal significance n  our life,AND the lives of those around us.When this happens,our prayers/our desires r changed from those that r rooted in our comforts&pleasures....changed to become those that r more and more focused on things that carry Eternal Significance in our life,& the lives of those around us!Once this happens n our life,our heart&life become aligned with Jesus’ Heart...we begin to ABIDE n HIS Love!And then we begin to see the Strength & Power of Christ n and around our lives,as we have the eyes/heart/mind to appreciate the Eternal Aspects of all things around us.This is our lives being firmly grafted into Jesus,the only True Vine that Jesus talks about n John15:1-5!Dear Lord,these verses open my eyes to how much of my life has totally missed the Blessings of what YOU have APPOINTED me for(created me for/given me life for).My focus has been on the mundane,& my life “fogged in” by things that don’t really matter when compared to the Eternal Significance of life.Thank You for Your great Mercy and Grace that can not only change me,but also give me hope when I turn my life over to ABIDING n YOUR LOVE!

John 15:12-13

After Jesus talks about Trusting and Obeying/Following Him,the very next thing He says is,”My command is this,love each other as I have loved you.Greater love has no man than to lay down his life for his friends”(John15:12-13).The very first thing Jesus tells His disciples after telling them how to love Him is that they should love each other as He has loved on them over the last 3 years...w God’s Wisdom;God’s Discernment;God’s Patience&Perseverance;God’s Sacrificial Love,&through The Power of God’s Spirit.We cannot follow through on this command of Jesus unless we continue to learn more about the way He Loves&How He loves through studying God’s Word,Praying about THESE things,& having others n our lives that are encouraging us along with THESE things.To LOVE like Jesus LOVES is impossible if left to our own devices.We may start off well now and then,but our love will always become tainted or derailed by something selfish,unwise,or undiscerning....something that can only b corrected/fixed by The Heart/Love of Jesus;The Wisdom&Discernment of our Father God;and the Power of The Holy Spirit.To sincerely follow through with the first command Jesus gives us after telling us how to show our love for Him(Trust&Obey/Follow Him),we must b going to Him always->seeking Him n His Word,through Prayer,& through the accountability & encouragement & edification of others around us that have the same sincere desire to love Jesus.If not,the way we love will be shaped by the way the world shows love,& not by The Way that Jesus teaches us to LOVE!Dear Lord,I have had so many misconceptions about what it means n my life to Trust & Obey/Follow you!This first command you left Your disciples with I now realize is the primary means by which You will  change my heart to truly b more and more like Your Heart!Help me grow more aware of this every day,& to have my heart and the way I love become more and more like the way that You love me!