Daily Devotions
John
John 17 : 1 - 26 "NO SENSE OF PRESUMPTION AT ALL"
Day 252 – John 17
NO SENSE OF PRESUMPTION AT ALL
Prayer as far as Jesus was concerned, was not a matter of “petitioning” His Father! It was also certainly not about “claiming” any promises His Father made either. There was absolutely no sense of presumption on His part! He knew and accepted the fact that when He put on flesh, He would have to submit Himself as completely as the average human being must practise submission to the Father!
REVIEWING LIFE AND MINISTRY
As Jesus began to commune with His Father in prayer, and since His hour had come, it was natural for Him to reflect and review His life and ministry! Humbly and in guileless honesty, Jesus said these words to His Father.
“As You have given Him authority over all flesh,
that He should give eternal life to as many as
You have given Him.”
John 17:2
1. Reviewing the exercise of “Authority”
It is never easy to handle authority. It is even harder to wield authority correctly when with that authority tremendous power is also entrusted!
The Disciples were given power and authority when they were sent out to preach the Kingdom of God. Luke recorded this fact in the following text.
“Then He called His twelve disciples together
and gave them power and authority…”
Luke 9:1
However, on one occasion, they asked Jesus if it was all right to call down fire from heaven to burn up a Samaritan village that had refused them access to their village. James and John said,
“Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down
from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?”
Luke 9:54
If Jesus had not prevented them, they might have been tempted to use their “authority and power” wrongly (Luke 9:55-56). Jesus had never once abused or misused His authority and power!
2. How Jesus used His “authority”
How did Jesus understand the authority that His Father had given Him? Two outstanding things may be observed.
a) Focus on eternal matters
When the multitudes saw the sign-miracles that Jesus could perform, they flocked to Him. They wanted to see more sign-miracles. They asked to have that power poured into their lives so that they could be healed! Some even wanted Jesus to become their King.
Jesus, on His part never lost focus on what He knew was the most important thing of all! He never lost sight of the fact that people needed to give all their attention to eternal life!
b) Conscious awareness of the Father’s Involvement
Jesus practised a wonderful sense of awareness of His Father’s involvement in every aspect of His life’s work! He sought His Father’s mind and will on the matter of granting salvation.
He desired that all should hear the Gospel and come to salvation. Nevertheless, He also sought to see His Father’s hand in His work. Each and every person given salvation was acknowledged as someone His Father personally gave to Him! Let us consider the following texts:-
“I can of Myself do nothing…”
John 5:30“For I have come down from heaven, not to do My
own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”
John 6:38“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me
draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day…Therefore everyone who has heard and learned
from the Father comes to Me.”
John 6:44, 45b
Jesus had been most faithful in the discharging of the work that God had given to Him to do. He was able to speak of this truth with pure humility.
THE CHALLENGE TO PONDER AND PRAY OVER THE MATTER OF BEING FAITHFUL TO GOD
When we come to God in prayer, we should include a portion of our time to reflect and review our life and ministry. Have we been faithful? Have we been conscious of the Father’s part in our life’s work? Let us consider what the Apostle wrote in this text.
“Therefore we make it our aim, whether present
or absent, to be well-pleasing to Him. For we
must all appear before the Judgment Seat of
Christ, that each one may receive the things done
in the body, according to what he has done,
whether good or bad.”
2 Corinthians 5:9-10
Let us study carefully how Jesus prayed. Let us be deeply moved in our hearts to emulate His pattern of prayer.