Jesus prayed in John 17:3, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.” Eternal life is not a destination, it’s an eternal relationship. It’s not about what we get later, but about knowing Jesus and the Father right now and forever. It’s just not about life after we die, but living while we live. This is not head knowledge, but life experience. It begs the question, “Do I know my God in the real world in which I live?”
Jesus goes onto pray for His disciples, both then and now. What’s the connection? One of them is that we need other believers to know our God in the here and now. This process, however, will cause sparks to fly.
Proverbs 27:17 states, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Knowing Jesus in community causes sparks to fly. This process can make believers want to separate from each other, which is why Jesus said that as we do the exact opposite, stay together despite the sparks, the world will know we belong to Him (17:23). Walking together in the midst of conflict is one of two ways those around us will see Jesus. And when this happens, guess who wins? We do, as we all get to know our God together!
Sparks are good! Let the heat forge you into a team experiencing eternal life now.
“S”et Free Noww“W”