John 17: 6 “I have revealed you to the ones you gave me from this world. They were always yours. You gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything I have is a gift from you, 8 for I have passed on to them the message you gave me. They accepted it and know that I came from you, and they believe you sent me.
The Apostles, the ones who followed Jesus the closest were given the "keys to the kingdom" as Jesus revealed it all to them. His revealing and their call were sealed for the purpose of proclaiming and sharing the message of hope that only comes through Jesus. Jesus told them that everything He had was a gift from God and that gift was passed on to them and us. The gift was the message and we can never get away from that heavenly message of hope.
Paul spoke of this gift in Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Peter spoke of another gift when he preached from Solomon's porch in Jerusalem and many thousands were saved. Acts 2:38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The Apostles spent three years with Jesus and it was all going to culminate in the upcoming death, burial, and resurrection of the one they had followed so faithfully. Jesus is acknowledging that the Apostles know that He came from the Father and they now believe God sent Him. That truth, that belief is what Jesus prays they will keep and continue to share with a lost and dying world. Jesus is praying for them to keep after it and He is also praying for us down through time to do the same. May we respond to that prayer and may the result fine tune our faith to the "main thing", the message of Jesus and His resurrection.
These truths have been given to us, not to keep, but to share wherever we go and God's call compels us to share them openly and continuously. The gift of salvation is offered to all, but not all will receive it. If we don't offer it we hold back the chance they get at receiving the gift. Holding back our testimony is like not giving an antidote to the poison someone has ingested and watching them die. So sad and so unnecessary. We receive the gift, just to give it away so others can receive it. We are a conduit of His grace and mercy and we should never let our pride or apathy keep us from letting the message flow through us. This gift is Yours. Now pass it on to others who need the gift.
Today's Message,
David Warren
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