Seeds of the Kingdom Devotional 17 June 2021 By Ellel Ministries Australia
He Knew Who He Was
by Ron Scurfield
I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them. – John 17:26 NIV
Jesus knew who He was and what He had to do. Even from the age of twelve He knew there was a calling upon His life. His parents had taken Him up to Jerusalem for the Feast but were unaware that they had come away without Him. They eventually found Him in the temple courts, discussing with the religious leaders the finer points of the law. “Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” (Luke 2:49). Even from that young age He knew He was the Son of His Father and was on a mission. But He could not fulfill this on His own: “I do nothing of myself; but as my Father taught me” (John 8:28). He was totally committed to God.
At every opportunity He would retreat to a solitary place to pray. This was the driving power of His life, because His whole identity was bound up in God. Yet He was a man who made His own decisions. He spoke out against injustice and demonstrated love and compassion, all in accordance with the will of the Father. Their relationship was complete.
We may be tempted to think it was all right for Jesus. He was the special Son of God. He had certain privileges which set Him apart. This was not the case and we read, ‘Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being’ (Philippians 2:6,7, NLT). He was in every way as we are, but without sin.
We were created in the image of God by the love of God, to have the same relationship with the Him as Jesus did. But sin got in the way. That sin has now been dealt with by the cross. Jesus willingly became a sacrifice for us so that we might know a restored relationship with God. As we receive and accept this sacrifice personally, with humility and gratitude, responding to His infinite grace and mercy, we can experience the same depth of love that Jesus did.
Jesus knew who He was and where He stood with the Father. There was an unbreakable bond between them. That same relationship He had with God is also available to us. To Jesus God was everything, the driving power of His life
We have the same rights and privileges as Jesus Christ. Do we reflect this by our lifestyle, or does God take second place? Do we know who we really are? We are the apple of his eye, cherished and dearly loved. When we know and accept who we are in God’s sight, we know who He is, and the bond between us and God is complete.
Prayer: Father, I dare to call You Father because that’s what Jesus taught. That means I am Your son (daughter). Please forgive me if I have rejected this truth by feeling that I’m not good enough. You accept me as I am. I open my heart to You today and receive all You want to give me through Jesus and pray You would help me to live a life worthy of Your calling, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Thanks and God bless for reading Seeds of the Kingdom Devotional 17 June 2021 By Ellel Ministries
Ron Scurfield with his wife Jill, are part of the Associate Ministry Team at Ellel Grange and occasionally Ellel Scotland. Ron enjoys walking and writing and meeting interesting people, but his greatest joy is seeing God transform lives, setting people free to live the abundant life that Jesus intended.
