Thank Your for Making Missions Month So Successful!
Beats From Your Pastor’s Heart:
John 17:23, “I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.”
In our relationships with one another, we are handling a state of perfection.
You might ask, “What do you mean? We are not perfect. We have a long way to go.”
However, we must see from the divine point of view that we are in a state of perfection.
Jesus prayed for the believers: “That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You.”
His prayer is that we would be brought into THEIR oneness, THEIR love.
There is ONLY ONE LOVE in this universe.
It is not a matter of your love or my love.
Even as Christians, we ourselves have NO LOVE.
No, there is only one love.
It is the love of the Triune God that has been deposited right within us.
We just need to recognize it.
The love of God is in me for you.
The love of God is in you for me.
We have been brought into the Triune God, and Their relationship has been brought into us.
Then the Lord continues to pray, “And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one;”
The word “perfected” could unsettle us.
It seems as though we must labor and struggle to arrive at a state of perfected oneness.
But actually this is not the case at all.
“That they may be perfected” could literally be translated “that they may be brought into a state of perfection.”
Kenneth Wuest’s translation of the New Testament captures the full meaning of the perfect tense: 23 “I in them and You in Me, in order that they, having been brought to the state of completeness with respect to oneness, may persist in that state of completeness, to the end that the world might be understanding.”
We have been brought into a state of perfection, or completeness.
The oneness that we have been brought into is the perfect oneness between the Father and the Son.
When the Lord says, “I in them, and You in Me,” this is the state of perfection.
We have been brought into THEM to participate in this perfect state of oneness.
Until Tomorrow
With a Shepherd’s Love
Pastor
TODAY’S PRAYER LIST
Bill Lawhead’s Memorial Service is March 26 @ 11 AM
Charles Ward – Doing Well
James Garner’s Friend
Kim McClain’s Mother
Lonzo Christian
Marli Page – Mission trip
Randy Bond’s Son In Law
Russell Paschal
Tammy Shellnut’s Mother
Terrell Loyd
The Graham Family – Brandon’s Friends
Amy Garner’s Mother/Dad
Ashley Burn’s Sisters
Barbara Shed’s Family
Bill Moody
Carol Lawhead’s Brother
Charlie Sessom – Waiting
Colby/Connor – Allison’s G’sons
Denise Stubbs – Kim Allison’s Mom
Greg Payne – Lisa’s Brother
Hanna Hall – Pray for Grace
Kimberly – Dustin’s Sister
Larry Barker
Linda Breedlove’s Sister – Sarah
Mary Sims
Marynell Ford
Kenny & Nora Allison
Pastor Driskell
Paula Ferus’ Missionary Friend
Ricky Stubbs
Rod Gustafson – Cancer
Roseleigh Osborn
Scott Lanier – Linda’s Son
Shaelyn – Jill’s Friend
Sheila Simmon’s Cousin
Tom Witcher