John 17:23

Scripture:

John 17:23 “I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.” (NASB)

Observation:

Too often, we can sit back and say that the church of today is missing the point. That our needs are not being met, and that the church is falling short of what and where it should be if we have our eyes upon Jesus. If the same people who point the fingers at the churches would open their hands to help, the church would have more than enough volunteers to help and more than enough money to get projects done. The church is us – we who believe in Jesus Christ, but it is so easy to sit back and want to be taken care of. Years ago, my truck blew its head gasket. I had been doing the work myself, but I reached a point where I was over my head and needed help. I had to step back and look at it from a new perspective. It wasn’t about me doing the job, it was about the job getting done. So often we look at church as what can it do for me. Maybe we should be asking what can I do for the church. 

Application:

• Personal Application: Continue spending time with the Lord daily. Sow righteousness and reap the fruit of God's unfailing love. 
• Family Devotional: Read this chapter to your family. Ask them if anything spoke to them as you read. Talk about their answers and show them that one important aspect of this chapter is that we must continue to spend time with the Lord and keep our hearts focused on His plans and purposes. Pray for them.

TOM SEMBER has been involved in ministering to men for over 20 years. He is an ordained minister with the AG in the NY Ministry Network. Tom lives with his wife, Carolyn, and children in New York. You can connect with Tom on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.