Sometimes Christians say things that are meant to be a comfort to others but aren’t theologically sound. Shocking, I know. Some of my favorite videos to watch are when the guest has to guess if it’s something that comes from the Bible or a quote. Today on the podcast, we prove the comforting ideas found in Matthew West’s song “Me On Your Mind” come from Scripture.
We’ll study a wonderful prayer of Jesus to encourage us that He, indeed, had us on His mind.
In this week’s episode, I discuss:
- Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture – this week’s Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include:
- Meditate on Scripture
- Read in context
- Use the subheadings to gain your bearings
- Follow the cross-references
- Slow down
- Look up words in the dictionary
- Consult an outside resource
- Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis – Amazon Paid Link
- How Jesus had us on His mind in his recorded prayer in John 17
- Backing up to John 13 and reading forward to get the full context of what was happening
- Contrasting two gardens in Scripture – “Two Gardens, Two Betrayals, Two Outcomes” by Dr. Jim and Janean Reish
- Jesus’ posture – John 17:1
- Exploring when Jesus’ hour “had not yet come” compared to the hour that has come at the time of Christ’s prayer
- John 2:4
- John 7:30
- John 8:20
- “Glory” and “glorification” and what they mean
- Eternal life through Christ – John 17:2-3
- Christ’s role in bringing attention to God’s character through His obedient life
- What it means that Christ “manifested” the name of God – John 17:6
- Highlighting themes of sanctification and unity in addition to glorification
- A pattern we can follow from this prayer (see the Fire Bible Amazon Paid Link)
- Pray that they may know Jesus Christ and his Word intimately (John 17:2-3, 17, 19)
- Pray that God may protect them from the evil influences of the world, keep them from turning away from him and give them discernment to recognize and reject ungodly beliefs and false spiritual teaching (John 17:6, 11, 14-17)
- Pray that they may constantly possess the full joy of serving Christ (John 17:13)
- Pray that they may live by God’s standards of purity and truth in thoughts, actions, and character (John 17:17)
- Pray that they may be unified in love and purpose, just as Jesus and his Father are (John 17:11, 21-22)
- Pray that they may lead others to Christ (John 17:21, 23)
- pray that their faith will endure so they will one day be with Christ in heaven (John 17:24)
- Pray that they may constantly experience God’s love and presence (John 17:26)
Am I following Christ’s pattern in my own life? Do I look at my obedience to God’s ways as a way to magnify His character, or as something I’m supposed to do?
Enjoy the official lyric video of this week’s song below.
More Than a Song Playlist
Additional Resources
- Lyrics – NewReleaseToday.com
- “Loved by the Father in the Son” – Ligonier.org Devotional
- John 17 Commentary – Enduring Word Commentary
- “What is sanctification? What is the definition of Christian sanctification?” – GotQuestions.org Article
- ESV Fire Bible – Amazon Paid Link
- “Two Gardens, Two Betrayals, Two Outcomes” – Dr. Jim and Janean Reish Article
Weekly Challenge
Read John 17 in context, then go back and study it line by line and word by word. Look up words in the dictionary you can’t quite define. Meditate on the themes of glorification, sanctification, and unity. Use this prayer as an example to pray for others. Above all, remember that Jesus had you on His mind when He lifted his eyes and these words to heaven.
