Read with me “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to the them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.”
John 17:20-23
What does John 17:20-23 mean for us, today? Jesus valued unity enough to intercede for believers, and ask the Father that we may all live together in Him, and He in us. According to the dictionary unity is defined as the state of being united or joined as a whole. Regarding our relationship with God, unity refers to our oneness with Him. This translates as “we are all one in Him.” We get to show others that they are loved by a Holy God and we get to show them that love lends itself to wholeness. There is glory found in the indwelling of Christ in us. The outflow of this indwelling yields a glory that leads others to the revelation that He was indeed sent and they are loved. There is a longing inherent to the Godhead to be unified with the believer. God sent His son to die for us, because He loved us. Our acceptance of the gift of Christ welcomes Him to make His home inside us. When we live in a way that demonstrates our union with Christ, our lives carry a glorious testimony of the reality of His love for the world.
Personally, Jesus loves you; He longs to be with you. As a believer you are uniquely suited to host the living God on the inside of you. He has created you for the purpose of bringing His reality to earth. His reality is a yearning to be interwoven with the believer. He has given you the profound opportunity to live a glorified life with Christ at the centre of all. Often times when I have struggled with personal relationship, I have asked God to show me His glory, and am then reminded that it helps to remember His glory is found in the person of Jesus inside of us. He is our hope of glory. The very hope I look for has already been given to me. Christ in us helps us to live in unity with others. It is by His power that we get to love on others, bring them into the fold, and worship together as one. We worship the one who has saved and loved us completely. When we overcome hate, we portray our oneness with Him. When we live a life of surrender, our lives become a testimony of the unity we share in Him. When we live in unity and wholeness, our lives become the testimony of Christ.
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” John 15:4 Portrays so well the need we have to abide in Him. The fruit we long to see in our lives are a by-product of having ourselves securely planted in who HE is, in knowing that a big part of His love for us made provision for Him to reside in us. And a great part of our walk with Him is merely us responding to the call by abiding in Him.
Pray with me, God, thank you for the gift of Christ in me. I ask for a new revelation of the reality of Christ in me. I long to be secure and rooted in your love. May my faith honor the gift of your presence in me. May I come to fully experience and know the depth, height, and breadth of your love. May my whole life speak of Your indwelling presence and great love.
