John 17:15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.
This is part of Jesus' prayer for the disciples. It is interesting that Jesus prays for protection for the disciples instead of Heaven. He, of course, knew they would be in Heaven with him eventually, but He knew that there was work to be done on earth first. This is something I know I get caught up in myself. I don't always want to engage or invest in people. I get frustrated with them quickly. I don't always love the life I'm living. I get tired of the day to day grind or sick of waiting for the next step in the journey. Those are moments when I think, "Oh Lord, just take me home. Let's be done with all of this." But then I think on Jesus' words here and my vision begins to change. I realize that my statement of wanting to go home is completely selfish. I am not on this earth because of anything I have ever done or will do. I am on this earth because the Creator of the universe created me to live here. God is using me on this earth to do His work. I'm good with that. My biggest struggle with this is that my passion is for every single person to understand that all of the good they see in me is God. I want to be sure that He gets all of the glory. People are quick to give me the praise for God's work in my life, which disappoints me. This, though, is where protection from the evil one becomes necessary for two reasons. One, to not get angry with people for misunderstanding the work of grace and two, to not get a big head. I desire a pure heart that is living for Jesus. That's the ultimate goal. Surrender.
This is part of Jesus' prayer for the disciples. It is interesting that Jesus prays for protection for the disciples instead of Heaven. He, of course, knew they would be in Heaven with him eventually, but He knew that there was work to be done on earth first. This is something I know I get caught up in myself. I don't always want to engage or invest in people. I get frustrated with them quickly. I don't always love the life I'm living. I get tired of the day to day grind or sick of waiting for the next step in the journey. Those are moments when I think, "Oh Lord, just take me home. Let's be done with all of this." But then I think on Jesus' words here and my vision begins to change. I realize that my statement of wanting to go home is completely selfish. I am not on this earth because of anything I have ever done or will do. I am on this earth because the Creator of the universe created me to live here. God is using me on this earth to do His work. I'm good with that. My biggest struggle with this is that my passion is for every single person to understand that all of the good they see in me is God. I want to be sure that He gets all of the glory. People are quick to give me the praise for God's work in my life, which disappoints me. This, though, is where protection from the evil one becomes necessary for two reasons. One, to not get angry with people for misunderstanding the work of grace and two, to not get a big head. I desire a pure heart that is living for Jesus. That's the ultimate goal. Surrender.
Good stuff! I needed to read this. You are doing what He wants with many.
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