October 10, 2023
The Father’s Giving In Unity
“The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” John 17:22-26 (NASB)
When I married in 1983, I thought I knew a lot about my wife. We dated for a little over a year before. She came from a divorced family, and I had parents who were married for their lifetime. My wife told me many times she didn’t think we would be married forever. Maybe it was from witnessing divorce in her parent's life. Now, over 40 years later, we know each other much better. We even know what food we want, but sometimes we can’t agree on simple things. In all, I have learned that God placed two unique people together in a solid foundation that can only be by God. What I see today is a woman of God who has grown so much in her faith, but it all came from a unity that God instills in a marriage when it is given to Him. One day we will be perfect, but for now, we continue to learn more about each other, as Christ leads our marriage.
“The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.” “Christ’s earthly prayer for his church is for unity—unity in apostolic truth, a oneness with the apostolic church, and also a unity that is spiritual, promoted by our walk with God as we seek the heights of spiritual maturity. It is also a unity on earth between brothers and sisters, a unity that comes through mutual humble service. This unity does not happen automatically or easily. It must be worked at. When a man and woman become one in Christ in marriage, there must be a commitment to oneness—an ongoing commitment to communicate, to share their souls, to spend time together, to have the deepest relationship possible in body, soul, and spirit. Such a relationship is unutterably wonderful when experienced. But many people never attain this, not because they do not want it, but because they are not committed to working toward it with God’s help. The same is true of the unity of believers in this world. We must be committed to scaling the heights, committed to the apostolic faith, and committed to humbly serving one another.”[1] Note something important Hughes says. It takes work. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are at work each day. God actively planned our redemption (buying us back from our lost condition), Jesus actively gave His life and ministry to save us, and the Holy Spirit works 24-7 on our lives each day. God is always busy, but are we working on what we have been given?
As I looked at some old photo albums the other day, I saw our youth. What a beautiful woman God gave me. We were young and dumb, but when we later gave our marriage to God, it all began to work out the way we could have never predicted. As I write these words I know this would have never been possible without God’s intervention in our lives…
[1] Hughes, R. K. (1999). John: that you may believe (pp. 411–412). Crossway Books.