Wednesday, 2 November 2016

Devotional Wednesday 2/11/16 – John 17:9 Jesus prays for us

08:10 Posted by Matthew Beaney No comments


Jesus sets us a great example of praying for the church. It’s easy to moan or worry; but with the same amount of energy one could choose to love the church by praying for her and actually see transformation.
 To meditate/pray upon
John 17:9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours.”
Romans 12:12 “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer”.
This prayer in chapter 17 runs a course that is good for all of us to follow. He starts by focusing on God, then on Christians and then on those currently outside who need salvation. 
Jesus loved and prayed for us; how are we doing at loving and praying for God’s church? They have been chosen and purchased by Jesus’ blood. God will give us His heart for His people as we pray for them.
What do I do if I don’t feel love toward the church?
There are times when we don’t feel like we want to pray for the church. Maybe we’ve been hurt or just become bored. I found this quote by C. S. Lewis helpful in this regard.
‘It would be quite wrong to think that the way to become "loving" is to sit trying to manufacture affectionate feelings… The rule for us all is perfectly simple. Do not waste time bothering whether you "love" your neighbor; act as if you did. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love them'. (C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity)
The church, this side of heaven, will never be perfect; but she is loved by God! She is the bride of Christ. Bought at the expense of Jesus’ life. Let’s be inspired to imitate Jesus as He prayed for His church, let’s make it a daily habit to ask for God’s grace on our leaders, our plans, our mission, our needs…
You can catch up on all the messages in the John series at:

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