Scripture:
When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
John 17:1-3
Observation:
After Jesus finishes speaking to the disciples he now turns to speak to the Father. “The hour has come” is not just the hour that Jesus’ physical life has boiled down to but the hour of all eternity. The hour that was planned and determined before the foundations of the world. This hour’s purpose was and is to glorify Jesus. “To GIVE eternal life to all whom you have GIVEN him” “that they might know Him” Part of God’s plan to glorify himself is through giving us himself.
Application:
I think we can often times forget that this “hour” was about Jesus not us. Jesus is “The Great I Am” and we are “The Great Am Nots”. This isn’t bad news, in fact it’s the best news. Why? Because God’s main goal and our deepest need collide under the name of Jesus. As we head into another busy week I challenge us to ask ourselves this question each morning: Are my intentions behind my actions today to make people notice me or to make people notice Christ?
Eternal life is that they may know Christ, not you.
Prayer:
Lord I am thankful today that you have given me yourself. I thank you that eternal life is not earned but given. Father forgive us for being obsessed with ourselves, for always wanting to be know, would you do a work in our lives so that our hearts desire is for others to know you.