Become One
“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; John 17:20
When I was a young girl, I had a lot of questions about why things seemed different today in the church than they were when the church started after Jesus’ ascension into heaven. I wondered about many things, one of them being why we didn’t see healing like the New Testament church did. It was explained to me that healing had passed away with the disciples as did all the miracles back then. I believed it at the time, but the only problem was that when someone did get healed, that answer made it look like it was some natural way that it happened. Even though the family that experienced a miracle of healing were believing, praying for and drawing from God in faith. It was really quite foolish to say that healing passed away since we know natural healing always takes place. It is the way God created the body to work. It takes care of wounds such as cuts and broken bones. They heal up on their own after we take the necessary steps to set, cover and protect the wounded area.
As far as supernatural healing, if I had continued to believe that it doesn’t exist anymore, I would not have experienced it myself when I contracted Covid-19. I would have laid in bed suffering for 14 days instead of pressing into God with my faith and believing Him to remove the symptoms and strengthen my body so that I could accomplish the things He had planned for me to do at that time. He was so faithful, and He always will be. The receiving part is on our end. We must believe and reach out to Him in Faith that He wants to help us in times of need whether it is health or any other kind of supernatural help that we need.
In today’s reading, Jesus prayed for His disciples as He was getting ready to go to the cross. He had just prayed that they would be one with Him as He was One with God. Now He is taking it a step further. He added to this prayer that He is not only praying for the disciples, but He is praying for those who will receive salvation through the disciples’ words and testimony. The disciples preached and then wrote about Jesus’ life and the salvation He came to give, then those who heard them preach received His salvation and then after they were gone, everyone else read the words they left behind about salvation.
That is where you and I come in. We were included in His prayer that day. We are those who believed in Him through the words and message that the disciples left behind. We have salvation in Christ Jesus because of the testimonies of the apostles and the church has continued to grow ever since Jesus left because He prayed for us then and He is still interceding for us today.
The message of salvation is still going on today. Through the gospels and through the words of Christians sharing their stories and the Word of God that was left by the disciples in the New Testament. Jesus is still the same as He was when He left the world and He has the same commission for us today to: love one another, be empowered and filled with the Holy Spirit and Go to all the world around you and share the good news of His great love and salvation! Salvation didn’t pass with the disciples and neither did any one of His other signs and wonders. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever and so are His great works!!
Today I want to encourage you to know that you are included in Jesus’ prayers. He thought of you back then and He is thinking of you today. His prayer at that time was that all His people would be one in Him as He was One with His Father. The most effective way to be one is to spend time with Him. Press into Him daily and get as close to Him as you possibly can. Learn to hear His voice on the inside of you guiding and leading you and then follow what He says to do. You can start by following the examples He left in His lifetime here on this earth. He first said to love one another! Begin to make it your habit to put away judging and condemnation for other people around you and start fresh today to practice loving at all times. Next, Jesus told the disciple right before He left to go and wait in the city until they were filled with power from on high. That is the Holy Spirit. Ask the Father in Heaven to fill you with His Spirit today so that you have His power in you to be bold and effective in your witness to others. Lastly, go into all the world around you and speak the good new of God’s salvation and love for all people. Make your life count today for all eternity by becoming one with Him in His purpose and plans. Then walk out your days in the power of His Spirit that He sent to help you. This will only be accomplished when we are one with each other and with Him.
Today’s scripture reading: John 17:20-26
20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word;
21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.
22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:
23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.
24 “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
25 O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.
26 And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”
The Daily Dose 