This is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
-John 17:3 (NRSV)
THE bent of human nature is to seek honor and glory for self, ignoring others and forgetting God. The result is running after wind, vanity, and more vanity. (See Eccles. 1:1-6.) But there is an antidote to this mindset: knowing and following Jesus Christ, who glorified God in all that he did. I found myself thinking about Jesus' prayer in John 17.
Looking back on his life, Jesus said that he glorified God on earth by finishing the work God had given him to do. I considered my 32 years of ministry and asked myself, How much have I been able to do this?
Lord, thank you for the abundant life we have in Jesus Christ. Help us to live so that we may look back on our lives and see that we have served you faithfully. As Jesus taught us, we pray, "Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." [From Matthew 6:9-13 (KJV)]
