I know a country you would love to go to! The only reason any person would not be interested in going to the country I'm thinking about would be that he or she doesn’t realize how wonderful a place it is!
Wouldn’t it be great if you, like the people in this true story, found out you were being highly recommended by a leading ambassador from that fantastic country? And then if you discovered that he had made it possible for you to be accepted for that country! This could turn out to be true about you today!
An ambassador is usually a high ranking person, sent by a sovereign or ruler to carry out a special mission in another country. Now, that seems to me to be a good description of Jesus Christ who came on a very special mission from Heaven to the nations of this world.
Today we are reading part of one of Jesus’ reports to His Father in Heaven. In it Jesus mentions that there are only two different groups of people in this world. It is very important that you realize which group you are in!
In His report Jesus said, “I have revealed You to those You gave Me out of the world.” (verse 6.) The “world” He speaks about is, of course, all the nations of this earth. But He says that the Father had given to Him some people “out of the world”.
Why did Jesus refer to his followers as being “out of the world” when they were still living in it?
Because they had already changed their “nationality”! They now belonged to the same country that Jesus had come from as an Ambassador; they were now citizens of Heaven!
The followers of Jesus can be clearly seen to be true citizens of Heaven.
“They were Yours,” Jesus said in this report to His Father in Heaven, “You gave them to Me and they have obeyed Your Word. Now they know that everything You have given Me comes from You. For I gave them the words You gave Me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from You, and they believed that You sent Me.” (verses 6-8.)
The Ambassador from Heaven had gathered around Him those who accepted Him as the Saviour He was sent to be. They wanted Him as their Leader, and they wanted to obey and serve the Father who had sent Him.
Today there are still only the same two groups in our world. There are those who are content to belong to this world, with all its lusting for selfishness and sinfulness. They will be content to chose some man of this world as their spiritual leader, and trust some fellow-man to be able to forgive and save them!
But then there is the other group - a much smaller one - who have as their Leader and only Saviour the Ambassador from Heaven, Jesus Christ, and they “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness”.
Which group are you in? Only those who have accepted the Ambassador sent by God have Jesus praying for them today, while they await going as citizens to their home in Heaven! (verses 9 & 24.)
Read the words of Jesus found in John chapter 17, verses 6-9.
John Nixon, Cork, Ireland. P31HD98. Contact: jnixonj@gmail.com
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