“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me."“Seeing the big picture” is a phrase that was first used in the mid-20th century to refer to the main movie at a showing. It has come to mean more than that. Now it means that you need to pay attention to all of the small things to see what they add up to. If we just focus on one small piece of something, we may miss what it’s all about. There are many examples of this: factory line applications (if all you do is put on a certain bolt at the beginning of a car assembly, you may not see its importance in holding the car together); most processes that have pieces outsourced; algebra.
John 17:20-23
Jesus modeled this in his prayer in John 17. He began the chapter by praying to his Father for himself, as he was drawing nearer to the end of his time on earth. Then he prayed for his disciples, that God would protect them and continue to bless them (Jesus uses the phrase “sanctify them,” which means to set them apart). Finally, he prayed for all believers to reflect the love that God has for them as they go about their lives.
What Jesus wants is a reflection of what God wants—for us to love others as we have been loved by our heavenly Father and his Son. That love is what we are to pass on to others—not just those close to us that we like. He wants us to love others...Love First. When we practice a Love First lifestyle, we look beyond first appearances so that we can open our eyes to what Christ wants us to see. It may mean that we change our usual approach to see people with our hearts instead of just our eyes. Love First means that we think beyond this present moment.
What if we were to think of ways that our neighborhood (street, apartment building, cul-de-sac, homeowners’ association, etc.) could be better—and how we could be a loving and gentle presence there? What if we proactively decided to make a difference in the lives of people around us who aren’t able to do for themselves at the moment? Whether it’s helping elderly people on our street with yard work or repairs or helping teachers at the beginning or end of the year by carrying things in or out and taking things down or putting things up, or even spending a few minutes in the parking lot of a grocery or department store taking carts back to the store or to the corral area when people have unloaded them...it’s a Love First action that expects nothing in return but has incredible benefits for the kingdom.
Your Mission
Look for specific ways to “pay it forward” today. Do something kind for someone else without expecting anything in return.
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