"Holy Father, protect them by the power of Your name -- the name You gave Me -- so that they may be one as We are one." John 17:11
We human beings are individuals. That is, we are each trapped within our inner self. We have forms of communication by which we reach out to others, but at best they allow us only a glimpse of others. We live with people in our own families for years, but we can never get to know what is really going on inside them. What is your mother's favorite color, her greatest fear? Even if she told you yesterday, is it still the same today? And would you even remember?
The problem is that we are each, by nature, the center of our own universe. We are more concerned that others should know us -- our ideas, our feelings -- than that we should know them. We are better talkers than listeners.
We are each born trapped within our own soul, but not for eternity. Jesus' death and resurrection are God's way of freeing us from that trap of self-centeredness. His love reaches out so we might be in Him and He in us. As He draws us closer to Himself through His Word and sacraments, His love reaches out through us to others and draws us together as the members of His body. In eternity we will form a perfect unity of individuals -- one, as God is one.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, our loving Savior, make us one through faith in You, even as You, the Father, and the Holy Spirit are one. Amen.
(Devotions from "The Abundant Life" copyright 1998, CPH. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be printed, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of Concordia Publishing House. Permission is granted for one-time e-mailing of this link to a friend. For information on other devotional material, please contact CPH at 800-325-3040 or visit CPH at www.cph.org.)
Today's Bible Readings: Judges 11-12 Luke 14:25-35
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