John 17:1-12

1-5 Jesus said these things. Then, raising his eyes in prayer, he said:
Father, it's time.
Display the bright splendor of your Son
So the Son in turn may show your bright splendor.
You put him in charge of everything human
So he might give real and eternal life to all in his charge.
And this is the real and eternal life:
That they know you,
The one and only true God,
And Jesus Christ, whom you sent.
I glorified you on earth
By completing down to the last detail
What you assigned me to do.
And now, Father, glorify me with your very own splendor,
The very splendor I had in your presence
Before there was a world.

6-12I spelled out your character in detail
To the men and women you gave me.
They were yours in the first place;
Then you gave them to me,
And they have now done what you said.
They know now, beyond the shadow of a doubt,
That everything you gave me is firsthand from you,
For the message you gave me, I gave them;
And they took it, and were convinced
That I came from you.
They believed that you sent me.
I pray for them.
I'm not praying for the God-rejecting world
But for those you gave me,
For they are yours by right.
Everything mine is yours, and yours mine,
And my life is on display in them.
For I'm no longer going to be visible in the world;
They'll continue in the world
While I return to you.
Holy Father, guard them as they pursue this life
That you conferred as a gift through me,
So they can be one heart and mind
As we are one heart and mind.
As long as I was with them, I guarded them
In the pursuit of the life you gave through me;
I even posted a night watch.
And not one of them got away,
Except for the rebel bent on destruction
(the exception that proved the rule of Scripture).

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What were you thankful for this past weekend? What are you thankful for right now? I hope that one of the things you are thankful for is the prayers of Jesus Christ. He hasn't forgotten you. He hasn't abandoned you. He still prays for you. He still aches when you ache. He still celebrates when you are glad. He still longs to hear your voice directed towards him in prayer, in conversation. He loves you and wants you to be faithful to the Scriptures, for Christ knows the only way we can be fulfilled, the only way we can live up to our potential is to recognize how dependent we are on God and live like created beings, faithful to our Creator. Christ wants this for you, prays for this for you, works with the Holy Spirit to guide you so this might be true. Christ loves you more deeply than you can imagine. It's a wonderful thing to be thankful for.

Blessings