Scripture: (Jesus is praying) “And this is eternal life: That they know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent…
I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours… (excerpts from John 17, verses 3 and 9)
Observation: What is the objective of Jesus towards me? It is that I might know the Triune God. What is the protection from not achieving this? Jesus prays for the ones given him.
Analysis: I think that John 17 can be a whole year’s worth of study all by itself. And, I think that I could not ever fully plumb its depths.
Look at these top notes. Definition of eternal life? That I know God.
How does that jive with all the directives of doing, obeying, alignment, mission, and more? Just this: If I don’t make it a point of knowing Him who sent His Son, what good is doing all this other stuff?
Goodness, that reads harsh. Yeah, does to my eyes as well.
How can I fully know God? Here is the circular argument that I have come up with: By doing all this other stuff—but putting this “other stuff” in the proper context. Because I seek His Face, all of this “other stuff” now means something.
At the End of Days, will an accounting be held of me and my doings? Yes, it will. Is it a ledger sheet of balancing rights and wrongs, pluses and minuses, positives and negatives? I don’t think so and Scripture doesn’t lend itself to these kinds of conclusions.
Look at Matt 7:20-25: “Lord, Lord: Didn’t I do this and that in Your Name? Jesus says, “Begone—I never knew you.”
Knowing Him, his Cross and his resurrection; seeking His face—I scratch the surface of this daily. It is so much easier to do something than to “be still I know I am God.”
What do I have going for me, then? Jesus prays for His, the ones given him. Is that me? I would like to think so, I have my trust in Atonement for my sin. I suppose this is the area of “working out my salvation in fear and trembling…”
Hammer point: Don’t be faithless but be faithful. Pursue Him all my days. He is the Pearl of Great Price, the Treasure hidden in the field.
Prayer: Father, I want these words to be driven deep in my heart and soul. Reorient my mind to pursue You all my days. Guard me from the temptations and the whispers of the evil one. Show me joy in You. AMEN.