“"I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me."”
John 17:23
Discussion
This, in my opinion is one of the greatest revelations in the Bible. It's absolutely mind-blowing. Don't you see it? Jesus is saying, God the Father, loves you and I as He loves Jesus. You see, it's usually not difficult for us to believe that the Father loves Jesus. But it's a bit troubling for quite a few to accept this truth; that the Father loves you exactly the way He loves Jesus.
What are the signs of His love for Jesus?
(1) Jesus is one with the Father (John 10:30). (2) When Jesus ministered physically on Earth, the Father granted His every request (John 11:41-42). (3) The Father did amazing miracles through Jesus (John 14:10). (4) The Father raised Jesus from the dead (Rom 6:4).
(5) The Father caused Jesus to sit at His right hand of supreme authority over all creation (Eph 1:20-22)
When Jesus prayed to the Father that the world may know that the Father loves the church as He loves Jesus, Jesus is simply showing us that we have been giving equal position, rights and privileges with Him (Rom 8:17). Hallelujah! Every sign of God's love for His Son listed above are exactly the same for us. Glory to God! This should be common knowledge to every Christian. Notice Jesus didn't say 'Father show them', no! He says 'let the world know'. Thus, it's the world that should see God's immense love for us as we carry out our daily activities just as Jesus taught us to do. We go about doing good, healing all that are oppressed of the devil....and the world sees this and says; "Oh how God loves these guys!". Beloved, God loves you. Own it! Say it! Live it!
Prayer
Father I thank you for your great love for me. It's unspeakable, it's unfathomable. I rejoice in your love for me. Its greater than anything that can ever come my way. Thank you Lord!!!"