Our scripture this week is John 17:1-11.
After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.
John 17:1-2
Jesus asks to be blessed to be a blessing for the glory of God. He doesn’t ask to be made rich or powerful, He really isn’t asking anything for himself. Instead He asks to glorify God and bring eternal life “to all those You have given Him” (v. 2) – that would be all of us.
Jesus has always been the model for our lives and He shows that He obeys His own commandment in this. He loves God first and all of us as Himself. In everything He did, Jesus was consistent, leading us to salvation in Him.
We must be consistent in our love for God and each other as well. Jesus told us “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35). It’s not always easy, but Jesus said it is the only way we will truly follow Him.
Loving Lord, we hear the commandment to love one another but we have trouble keeping it. Help us to be less prone to shout and more eager to love. May we become the children You intend us to be. Amen.