Deep Truths To Ponder, Part 1

Yours They Were - BEFORE

I love what Mary did when God revealed to her weighty things about Himself to her.  “Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart” (Luke 2:19).   

Here is what Mary did:   First, she took note of important deep things and put them in a safe place — her heart. Second, her thoughts “conferred” about them. That is she discussed it with people whom she trusted. That’s what “ponder” means, and what the Greek word for “ponder” implies.

So here are a few things we need to ponder:

Let’s start with Jesus’s prayer in John 17.

“I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me. . . . I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.” (John 17:6, 9)

Here are two stupendous statements. One is that God gave the disciples to Jesus. The other is that before he gave them to Jesus, they were ALREADY HIS. Now store that in a safe place for a moment.

There are at least three other ways that Jesus talks about people belonging to the Father BEFORE the Father gives them to him.

“You do not believe because you are not of my sheep”(John 10:26).

“Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God” (John 8:47).

“Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice” (John 18:37).

Each of these three phrases — “of my sheep,” “of God,” and “of the truth” — describes people BEFORE  the Father gives them to Jesus.

People are “of my sheep” or not, BEFORE they believe, because Jesus says that not being “of his sheep” is WHY they “do not believe” (John 10:26).

People are “of God” BEFORE they truly “hear the words of God,” because Jesus says that not being “of God” is WHY people do not hear the words of God (John 8:47).

And people are “of the truth” BEFORE  they “listen to my voice,” because Jesus says that being “of the truth” is WHY  they listen (John 18:37).

So, these are three ways of describing the disciples’ belonging to the Father(or not) before he gives them to Jesus (John 17:6).

And this also applies to ALL born-again Christians.  Let that sink in!

End of Part 1