“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began."
As Jesus prayed just before His death He revealed the reason for His birth...Eternal Life for all who know God and Jesus Christ whom God sent!
Verse 2 got my attention. We always talk about the gift of Jesus as we celebrate Christmas, but here Jesus acknowledges that we were given to Him by the Father so that He can give us eternal life. Through Christ, God has made available to us the gift of eternal life. We are given from the Father to the Son, and our belief in Jesus brings Glory to God the Father. Through Jesus, the gift of eternal life is made available.
In Verse 4 Jesus prays that He is bringing glory to His Father on earth by finishing the work that God gave Him to do. What was that work? Our belief in Jesus is the completed work, so we who believe, are given to God by Jesus.
As we think of Jesus' birth, we need to also remember that Christmas only matters because our belief in God and Jesus Christ reveals His grace and His love...and that our belief is a gift to both Father and Son.
Our belief in God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit is a gift that glorifies God and it is a gift that we can keep on giving to the world so that all who come to believe will have eternal life.
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