Words from the Rock
Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me. Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do.
John 14:9–11 NLT
What do you think you’d do if you had only a week to live? Maybe your first response would be to do something crazy and reckless, like skydiving or bungee jumping or drag racing. Or maybe you’d go on some wild spending spree and live large. Or you might take some time to be alone to contemplate. But before long, you’d probably want to focus on people and relationships. You might need to tell someone you love them or that you’re sorry, or you might need to forgive someone. You’d probably want to really talk to the ones you love the most—to speak openly and from the heart.
If you knew your days were numbered, you’d probably want to connect on a much deeper level with anyone who meant anything to you, especially with the people you truly love. You’d want to make sure that your friends and loved ones understood who you were and what mattered to you, and in the same way, you’d want to understand them. Most likely, you would want to leave this world knowing that your relationships were in super good shape.
The verses above are words Jesus speaks just days before his death. You can hear the urgency in his message. More than anything, he wants to be sure his loved ones really know him. He wants them to understand how tightly connected he is to God so that when he’s gone, his followers will realize that their connection to God is because of Jesus. He wants them to know that it’s a connection that cannot be broken.
Those words are spoken to you too. Jesus invites you—in the same way he invited his disciples—to become partners with him and his Father.
My Prayer
Dear God,
It’s easy to take relationships for granted. Please remind me of the importance of having a good one with you, and how it impacts my relationships with others.
Amen.
Final Word
A body is made up of many parts, and each of them has its own use. That’s how it is with us. There are many of us, but we each are part of the body of Christ, as well as part of one another.
Romans 12:4–5 CEV
Stone for the Journey
I’m made strong by my relationship with Jesus.