JOHN 17:24 – “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.”
THEME OF THE DAY: GIFTS FROM OUR HEAVENLY FATHER. When you read the theme of today’s devotion, what immediately came across your mind? Perhaps it was the opening of the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:3). Or maybe his statement to the Corinthian church – “Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15). Still yet, it might have been the apostle’s words to Timothy when he tells him ““God richly provides us with everything to enjoy”” (1 Timothy 6:17).
When we think of gifts from our heavenly Father it would be right to focus on ourselves as recipients. All the verses in the opening paragraph are true. He does give us all things to richly enjoy. He has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Christ. And without question, we receive the inexpressible gift of His Son, the Lord Jesus, our Savior. But I want you to think again about today’s theme. Be ready. The “hint” is in today’s scripture. Think on God the Father giving gifts to God the Son. And here is an amazing truth about those gifts. They are us. Yes, us. Yes, His sheep. Yes, His often-disobedient sheep. Yes, His fearful sheep.
Jesus prays, “Father, I desire (or I will) that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.” Our Lord mentions “they whom you have given me.” Who are the “they” He is referring to? They are Christians. These are the people God the Father chose before the foundation of the world to be in Christ – “even as he (God the Father) chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will” (Ephesians 1:4-5).
At least five other times in our Lord’s High Priestly prayer of John 17 He declares “those whom you have given me” acknowledging the believers His Heavenly Father gave Him for His eternal possession. We may call such people “gifts of His grace” because that is exactly what Christians are! Wow! We are the gifts of God the Father to God the Son to forever be on display as trophies of His grace! The Apostle Paul would state such three times in Ephesians 1:3-14 with the phrases – “to the praise of His glorious grace” (v.6) and “to the praise of His glory” (v. 12, 14).
What a strong motivator to love God and strive to reflect His grace and glory now with the anticipation of who we will be in eternity – trophies of His grace. Such love demands a glad surrender of all we are, all we have, and all we do to the glory of Him who gave us as gifts to His Son!
PRAYER: Father, may my life be one of constant praise for You giving me to Your Son as a gift of grace.
REFLECTION: Live like we are – gifts from the Father to the Son to show the world the God who is love.