Yours, Mine, and Ours

“Now they know that everything you gave me is from you, because the words you gave to me I have given to them, and they accepted them and truly understood that I came from you, and they have believed that you sent me.” John 17: 7-8

When first read, Jesus sounds as though He is talking in circles in this passage. However, He is actually creating connections and drawing His people to those connections with His Father through Himself. When God sent His Son into this world, He made a new and final covenant with His people. Thanks to the work of Jesus in our world, we no longer have to fear being separated from God. Everything God had in mind for us when we were first created was given to us through Jesus. If we hear the word of God and simply believe in it, we are guaranteed all the wonders of the kingdom of heaven.

Paul is a perfect example of taking the words of Jesus to heart and living by them. He handed over his entire life to God because he understood that life was never his. God gave him life, and he returned that life to God. “I consider life of no importance to me, if only I may finish the course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to bear witness to the Gospel of God’s grace.” Acts 20:24

We are not all called to live life like Paul, but we are called to give our lives to God. God asks us to be saints, and what do saints do? They answer God’s call and willingly surrender to whatever the Father asks of them. This may sound like sacrifice, but if we completely trust God, we can be sure that true happiness does not come from living for ourselves, but from living for others, according to God’s divine plan.