Morning Devotion
May 6, 2022
Today's Bible Verse
John 17:23
I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
Today's Bible Study
Today's verse is taken from Jesus' High Priestly Prayer, His final prayer before His arrest and crucifixion. Jesus prays for unity among future believers, that the world would know that He was the Messiah, and that they would experience His love. Today, we will consider the importance of unity and love among Christians.
Unity means being as one. At the beginning of the verse, Jesus uses His relationship with God as an example of unity; He is in God and God is in Him. Through this oneness, they are in complete unity. In much the same way, Christians can be in unity with each other by being one with God first. When each of us seeks God and dwells in Him, we will naturally be in unity because our desires will be conformed to those of the Lord.
Unity means being as one. At the beginning of the verse, Jesus uses His relationship with God as an example of unity; He is in God and God is in Him. Through this oneness, they are in complete unity. In much the same way, Christians can be in unity with each other by being one with God first. When each of us seeks God and dwells in Him, we will naturally be in unity because our desires will be conformed to those of the Lord.
To be honest, when I look at this picture of perfect unity and then at our own religious institutions today, I get kind of discouraged. There are so many churches at odds with each other, disputes among Christians, and more. What have we missed? Of course there will be different interpretations and ideas about secondary issues that the Bible does not perfectly clarify—but when our ideas about God are held onto more fervently than God Himself, division will be inevitable. But when we focus on God above all else, unity happens.
The solution is to embrace love. That doesn't mean we refrain from standing up for anything, but rather, that we prevent disagreements from dividing us by acknowledging them and then choosing to build each other up. As long as Jesus is placed at the center of everything, our diversity will not lead to division. Instead, it will be evidence of the powerful, unifying love of Jesus Christ.
The solution is to embrace love. That doesn't mean we refrain from standing up for anything, but rather, that we prevent disagreements from dividing us by acknowledging them and then choosing to build each other up. As long as Jesus is placed at the center of everything, our diversity will not lead to division. Instead, it will be evidence of the powerful, unifying love of Jesus Christ.
Today's Prayer
Dear Lord, I am so grateful for your goodness and love. Help me to be in unity with other Christians as much as possible, and help me to love other people with the same love that Jesus loves me. In Jesus' name, amen.
If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.
-C.S. Lewis
God will not look you over for medals, degrees or diplomas but for scars.
-Elbert Hubbard
The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.
-C.S. Lewis
If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at the people he gave it to.
-Dorothy Parker
Yesterday's Devotional
May 5, 2022
Yesterday's Bible Verse
Isaiah 53:5
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Yesterday's Bible Study
In this verse from Isaiah 53, we have a reminder that Jesus has provided us final, spiritual healing, which, unlike our current physical bodies, will last for all eternity. In today's Bible study, we will consider what spiritual healing means and how it relates to what Jesus physically endured on the cross.
Isaiah connects Jesus' wounds with our sins. Jesus is "wounded for our transgressions… bruised for our iniquities, and chastised for our peace." Jesus' physical wounds represent our sin. Because of this, in the final phrase "with his stripes we are healed," it makes sense to understand the healing as spiritual healing. The result of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection was that we were set free from the bondage of sin, from the very things that Jesus endured leading up to the cross, like bruises and wounds. Enduring those things before His death meant that they, too, would be forever defeated by His resurrection.
Isaiah connects Jesus' wounds with our sins. Jesus is "wounded for our transgressions… bruised for our iniquities, and chastised for our peace." Jesus' physical wounds represent our sin. Because of this, in the final phrase "with his stripes we are healed," it makes sense to understand the healing as spiritual healing. The result of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection was that we were set free from the bondage of sin, from the very things that Jesus endured leading up to the cross, like bruises and wounds. Enduring those things before His death meant that they, too, would be forever defeated by His resurrection.
Spiritual healing is even better than physical healing. This is because the world around us and our current bodies are passing away. We will have new bodies (2 Corinthians 5:3), and there will be a new heaven and Earth (Revelation 21:1). However, spiritual healing lasts forever (John 10:28-29). This means that if we are struggling or feel as though we will never be able to live up to the standards of the Bible, we can repeat this verse, knowing that Jesus has healed us and will help us live for Him. He has forgiven our sins once and for all.
If you are praying for physical healing, we have no better proof that God is a healer than our own spiritual transformation. Seeing how He is making us more and more like Him each day should give us confidence that He cares about our physical bodies and has the power to heal them. If He cared enough about us to die for us on a cross, He cares enough to listen to our prayers for physical healing. When we keep physical healing and spiritual healing in the right perspective, we are able to experience life in Jesus and glorify Him for being a God who loves to heal His people.
If you are praying for physical healing, we have no better proof that God is a healer than our own spiritual transformation. Seeing how He is making us more and more like Him each day should give us confidence that He cares about our physical bodies and has the power to heal them. If He cared enough about us to die for us on a cross, He cares enough to listen to our prayers for physical healing. When we keep physical healing and spiritual healing in the right perspective, we are able to experience life in Jesus and glorify Him for being a God who loves to heal His people.
Yesterday's Prayer
Dear Lord, I am so grateful for my salvation. Jesus, thank you for enduring all of the suffering and pain and shame of the cross for me. Thank you for healing me of all my spiritual iniquities, for covering with righteousness, and calling me your own. In Jesus' name, amen.