Letters to the Prison - Week 164

Hello, everyone.  We’re studying the Gospel of John.  If you need a Bible, ask for one!  Last week, we began to understand that, when we pray, Jesus is not giving us a license to demand whatever we want “in his name.”  Consider again what he says:
  • Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.-John 14:13-14

So, we don’t exert our will on the universe or on other people or on God when we pray.  We’re not kids who go to other kids and say, “you have to do things my way because Dad says so.”  When we pray in Jesus’ name, we aren’t invoking some sort of governing authority to lend convincing weight to our requests.  That’s not at all what Jesus is saying.  So, what is he saying?  What does it mean to ask for things “in Jesus’ name?”  Jesus gives us the answer in this phrase:
  • “…that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”

Whatever we might think of this reality, it’s true:  God’s purpose always is to be glorified.  
In our human-ness, we might find that truth startling… or even offensive.  But the fact is that God, and God alone, is truly worthy of all glory.  It is the purpose and joy of all creation to glorify God.  It’s why he made all things, including us.  Ever wonder what our purpose on earth is?  Why we’re here?  Our God-ordained purpose is to have a relationship with God in which we give him glory and honor and praise.  Jesus Christ is the way and the truth through which we have that relationship (John 14:6).  Jesus is the head of the body, which is the church (Colossians 1:15-2:19).  Those who belong to the church are those who are found in Jesus (Philippians 3:1-11).  The ultimate purpose of the church is to glorify God forever (Revelation 21).  Therefore, every intention of the true church always is to glorify God through Jesus Christ.  Thus, we pray in the name of Jesus… that the outcome of our prayer would glorify God through him.

We could stop right there.  It would be worthwhile for us to linger here and sit with this reality so that it could properly inform and transform our prayer life.  Then, it would be worthwhile for us to return to this truth regularly and be reminded–lest we forget the purpose of our prayers.
Still, a natural question follows from a proper grasp of this truth:  How?  How do we even begin to pray this way?  What hope can we have of accomplishing this purpose on our own?  The fact is, dear friends, that we won’t… Ever… not without help.  And Jesus knows this.  

At the beginning of this chapter, we saw Jesus encouraging his disciples –and us.  We just now saw how Jesus has empowered those who believe in him to pray mighty prayers that glorify God.  What we are about to examine next is how Jesus equips those who believe in him to fulfill this great purpose for their lives.  To begin, Jesus lays out yet another --and perhaps even more challenging— reality:
  • “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.-John 14:15

If ever there was a verse in Scripture that should challenge us fiercely, it’s this one.  We’ll continue to look at it next week.  Until then, let’s ask ourselves:  Do we love Jesus?

Dean A.

Recent

Archive

 2022
 November
A Day of Celebration?Letters to the Prison - Week 25Letters to the Prison - Week 26Letters to the Prison - Week 27Letters to the Prison - Week 28Letters to the Prison - Week 29Letters to the Prison - Week 30Letters to the Prison - Week 31Letters to the Prison - Week 32Letters to the Prison - Week 33Letters to the Prison - Week 34Letters to the Prison - Week 35Letters to the Prison - Week 36Letters to the Prison - Week 37Letters to the Prison - Week 38Letters to the Prison - Week 39Letters to the Prison - Week 40Letters to the Prison - Week 41Letters to the Prison - Week 44Letters to the Prison - Week 45Letters to the Prison - Week 46Letters to the Prison - Week 47Letters to the Prison - Week 48Letters to the Prison - Week 49Letters to the Prison - Week 50Letters to the Prison - Week 51Letters to the Prison - Week 52Letters to the Prison - Week 53Letters to the Prison - Week 54Letters to the Prison - Week 55Letters to the Prison - Week 56Letters to the Prison - Week 57Letters to the Prison - Week 58Letters to the Prison - Week 59Letters to the Prison - Week 60Letters to the Prison - Week 61Letters to the Prison - Week 62Letters to the Prison - Week 63Letters to the Prison - Week 64Letters to the Prison - Week 65Letters to the Prison - Week 66Letters to the Prison - Week 67Letters to the Prison - Week 68Letters to the Prison - Week 69Letters to the Prison - Week 70Letters to the Prison - Week 71Letters to the Prison - Week 72Letters to the Prison - Week 73Letters to the Prison - Week 74Letters to the Prison - Week 75Letters to the Prison - Week 76Letters to the Prison - Week 77Letters to the Prison - Week 78Letters to the Prison - Week 79Letters to the Prison - Week 80Letters to the Prison - Week 81Letters to the Prison - Week 82Letters to the Prison - Week 83Letters to the Prison - Week 84Letters to the Prison - Week 86Letters to the Prison - Week 87Letters to the Prison - Week 88Letters to the Prison - Week 89

Categories

Tags