(tm) Day 7
Back to John Seventeen, Devotional
I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. (John 17:6)
There are two ideas here: (1) the revealing of the name of God; and (2) the separating of the elect from the world and the giving of them to Christ as His special possession, His peculiar treasure among mankind.
The Lord God of Heaven revealed various aspects of Himself to the Jews. He showed to them, His chosen people, that He is One and not many; that He Is the Shepherd, the Healer, the Warrior, the Provider, the powerful and fruitful One; that He will become whatever He chooses to become.
The revelation given to the elect, the Church, through the Lord Jesus Christ, is that God is to be worshiped as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We are baptized in water into the names of these three Divine Personages.
The above statement, "thine they were," suggests to us that part of mankind belongs to the Father in a special way. Abraham, and those who are called in Abraham including every person on earth who is "in Christ," belonged to God originally.
God is so great that He has planned all things from the beginning. God completed all of His works through to the new Jerusalem and then rested on the seventh day. The names of the elect were placed in the Book of Life from the beginning.
However, each person has a "room" of decisions in which he or she operates. Within this area of choice he can choose to fulfill his God-ordained destiny or he can neglect to pursue his "mark." Redemption always is an opportunity.
The Lord’s true remnant, His elect, are distinguished by the fact that they guard and protect Jesus’ words. They listen to what Christ has spoken, and then seek God’s wisdom and strength so they may be able to do what the Lord has commanded.
Those who hear Christ’s Word and then do what He has commanded will stand in the day of shaking. Those who hear Christ’s Word and do not do what He has commanded will not be able to stand in the day of shaking. They will be deceived by Antichrist.
Let us read God’s holy Word with the express intention of obeying it. If we will continue to come confidently and joyously to the throne of grace we will receive mercy, and also Divine grace that will enable us to forgive our enemies and do all the other things we have been commanded.