to a mock trial, to physical brutality, and finally to a sacrificial death. You can imagine the chapter, you’ll realize Jesus wanted you to hear this most intimate conversation with His Father. Right in the heart of His prayer, He expresses His desire that we would experience sustainable joy. He wants us to be fundamentally joyful people, even in the midst of our suffering and sorrows. As we focus more and more clearly on how much Jesus really cares about us, our joy will grow and become more and more robust. WEEK Week 7 39 Monday—November 20•Sustainable Joy I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. (John 17:13) John 17 records Jesus’ prayer with His disciples just before He was taken into custody and subjected depth of emotion and sincerity expressed by Jesus. After all, when you listen to a man praying, it gives you a window into his soul. You realize what’s in that person’s heart. This chapter invites us to listen as Jesus prays for Himself and for His followers who have identified with Him in ministry. But before He’s done, He also prays for me and you. As you read this This devotional uses “robust” as a synonym for “full measure” in the verse above. List some other synonyms. Then briefly describe what life would look like for you if you experienced that kind of joy on a continuing basis. Daily Reading: Ezekiel 40:28–41:26, James 4:1–17, Psalm 118:19–29, Proverbs 28:3–5 Tuesday—November 21•Our Relationship with God 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. Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” (John 17:1–3) Jesus opens the prayer recorded in John 17 by asking God to “glorify your Son.” To glorify means to give praise and honor and dignity and worth that is good for someone. Jesus set aside His glory when He came to earth. Now he’s saying, “Glorify your Son so I can glorify you, Father.” And He adds that God has given Him authority over all people. Does that sound familiar? Roll back to the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20), where the resurrected Jesus told His disciples, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” And then, Jesus says He has the power to grant eternal life, and He defines what that means. Eternal life rests in our relationship with God. That’s sort of like the 800-pound gorilla in the room. As we focus on our relationship with God, and what we inherit in Jesus because of our faith in Him, even difficult circumstances seem so very small by comparison. And so, knowing and understanding that relationship can fuel sustainable joy, even in less-than-perfect conditions. WEEK Week 7 Hebrews 12:2 reminds us to “fix our eyes on Jesus...” What habits help you to do that? And what has been the result? Daily Reading: Ezekiel 42:1–43:27, James 5:1–20, Psalm 119:1–16, Proverbs 28:6–7
20514 Man in Mirror
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