John 17:20, “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word.” 

Today we complete the seven specific things that Jesus prayed for us.

4. THAT YOU WILL BE SANCTIFIED – verse 17. 

“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy Word is truth.”

The word ‘sanctify’ means ‘to make holy, purify, consecrate’. How can we keep pure and holy in this world? Jesus tells us the answer in his prayer. The Word of God will keep us holy. Read the Word of God. Memorize it. Think about it. Confess it out loud. Talk about it. 

Do you want your children to be sanctified? Feed them the Word of God. Read it to them daily. Encourage them to memorize it too.  Two important Scriptures for your children to memorize on this subject are:

Psalm 119:9, “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word.” 

Psalm 119:11, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” 

5. THAT YOU WILL EXPERIENCE HIS GLORY – verse 22.

“And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them.” 

Can you believe this statement? It is amazing. When Simeon saw the baby Jesus, He spoke prophetically as he proclaimed, “For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.” (Luke 2:30-32) Jesus was the light and glory of God on earth.

Now he has returned to the heavenly realm, God still wants His light and glory to be revealed in this sin-sick world. He has now chosen His redeemed people to be the light and the glory. “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27) Yes, He wants you to show forth His light and glory from your life.  

Unless you shine your light, people will stay in darkness. “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.” (Isaiah 60:1)

Jesus was not a flickering light, but a great light. He wants you to shine brightly too. Remember that Jesus prayed this prayer for you and is still praying it at the right hand of the Father.  Read Isaiah 9:2; Matthew 4:16; 5:16. 

6. THAT YOU WILL BEHOLD HIS GLORY – verse 24.

“Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am: that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.” 

Jesus longs that we will live in the eternal realm with Him and behold the glory that He shares with the Father. This is why He came to earth to redeem us. What a redemption! What a hope! Oh what a day when we will behold Him in all His glory!

This is also the prayer that we pray for our children, isn’t it? That they will be born again, receive eternal life, and come to know Christ intimately. Our most important task as parents is to prepare our children for the eternal world. 

7. THAT THE FATHER’S LOVE WILL BE IN YOU – verse 26.

“That the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

What kind of love does Jesus want us to have for one another? The love that the Father had for His only begotten son! Oh to experience this kind of love in our lives. Oh to have this love in our families. Oh for this kind of love in the body of Christ. 

It is sacrificial love. It is love that does not think of itself.  It is love that does not demand its own way. It is love that delights to serve. It is love that pours itself out for the other person. This is the love that keeps a marriage together. This is the love that binds a family together. This is the love that will bring true revival to the body of Christ.

We can’t experience this love in the natural. It is only as we lay down our lives, take up the cross and allow the Holy Spirit to fill our lives.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

“Come, Oh Lord, and overflow me with your love.  My love runs out so easily, but I thank you that in your heart there is a well of love that is inexhaustible. I draw from that everlasting well. Fill me to overflowing. Let your love spill out to everyone in my home – and everyone I meet. Amen.”

QUOTE: