Weekly Overview:

We have a great High Priest who constantly intercedes on our behalf. The Son of God and Man loves you more deeply than you can fathom. He prays for you, that you might walk in the abundant life his death affords you. And in John 17 we get a glimpse into the fullness of his desire for all those who would believe in him. As we dive deeply into the riches of Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer this week, may your heart be awakened and your life be transformed by the riches of God’s love.

Scripture:

“The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.” John 17:22-24

Worship:

Christ Be All Around Me by All Sons & Daughters

Devotional:

As disciples of Jesus, we are being fashioned into his likeness that we might be reflections of his glory. Jesus prays in John 17:22-24,

Through the power of Christ’s death, we are now filled with his very Spirit who is working constantly to fashion us into Christians in the truest sense of the word. To be a Christian is literally to be “a little Christ.” We are meant to be marked by similarity to the one whom we serve and love. Our lives are to be filled with his love. Our minds are to be transformed by his words. And our hearts are to be devoted to serving him alone.

2 Corinthians 3:18 says, “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” Through the death of Jesus we can come before God with unveiled face. Jesus came to declare the truth about who our Father is and to clear the path to restored intimacy between humanity and our Creator. And as we devote our lives to seeking the face of our heavenly Father, we will naturally become like him.

God’s desire is that we would live with the same freedom, intimacy, power, authority, and good works as Jesus. He sent his Son to die that we might be clothed from the inside out with Christ himself, thereby affording us a new life, nature, and identity. You are not the person you were before salvation. When you were filled with the Spirit of God, you were filled with the very glory of God, the image of Christ engraved upon your heart.

And while this concept of becoming like Christ often sounds heady and theological, it couldn’t be of greater practical importance. It couldn’t be more vital for us to believe and pursue the life given to us by the grace of God. Being transformed into the image of Jesus has powerful and practical implications for you and me. When you spend time with the Father, he desires to love you with the love he has shown Christ, a tangible and transformational love. He longs to set you free from the bonds of worldliness and sin. He longs to empower you and lead you to a life of purpose, miracles, and good works filled with the love of God himself. And he longs to lead you to a destiny laid before you since the foundation of the world.

Take time to seek the face of God today. Come before him with unveiled face and allow him to reveal to you the imprint of Christ upon your heart. Allow the Spirit to show you the purpose for which you were created. And receive the love of God that has the power to transform you into the very image of Jesus Christ, your Lord and example.

Guided Prayer:

Extended Reading: 2 Corinthians 3