11"Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are."

The Gospel of John is one of my favorite books of The Bible. These words spoken by Jesus are a portion of the Heavenly treasure that God has blessed us with here on Earth. This one verse is filled with so much of God's will and direction for His church, the body of Christ. All of chapter 17 is a prayer and intimate conversation from Jesus to The Father. On His behalf and ours. Four separate times in chapter 17, Jesus prays that His people would be one, in the same way that He and The Father are one. Throughout the gospels I can see and feel the honesty, vulnerability, intimacy, compassion and love that Jesus was offering to The Father. In this verse, Jesus is calling us to offer these same characteristics, not only to The Father and Himself, but to one another. As Jesus said Himself, "that THEY may be ONE as We are!" I truly believe that if we, as the body of Christ, would get honest, vulnerable, intimate, compassionate and loving towards one another, we would see a spiritual revival like never before. It is my personal experience, that when a brother in Christ took the time with me to remove his pride and ego, and offered these characteristics to me, it allowed me to get honest and vulnerable. And it took my relationship with The Father to a deeper level than I had ever known before. That experience ushered me into a stronger "oneness" with God The Father, God The Son and God The Holy Spirit. It all goes back to believers in Christ serving others, rather than being served. Today I challenge all to pray and find someone that you can practice these characteristics with. Someone that you can be honest and vulnerable with about where you are in your walk with God, and where you want God to take you.

Prayer for today:
Father, thank You for Your Word and Your Truth. Thank You for creating us in such a way, that we long to be a part of something greater than ourselves. Thank You for the guidance and direction that comes from Your Word and Holy Spirit. I pray that You help us loosen the chains of our pride and ego that we may become one with our brothers and sisters in Christ, as You are one with The Father; That we may bring glory to Your name by confessing our sin and shortcomings to one another. May Your Spirit be a lamp unto our feet and the guide for our hearts and minds. We ask these things in Jesus Holy name. Amen.