“I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one. I in them and you in me. So that they may be brought to complete unity.” John 17: 22-23 .” NIV.

A gift is a term that is understood in every language. It denotes something given willingly to someone without payment. In short, it’s a present that we desire someone to have for whatever reason.

We take much time and pride in selecting the gifts we give, and depending on who it is and the occasion for which it is given, we go to great lengths to find the appropriate gift for the moment in time. It’s usually the fondness and love that has been generated between the giver and the receiver.

Moreover, gifts are usually centered on special occasions. It is also fair to say that most who receive them love and appreciate their gift. However, in many cases there are those who do not like or even bother to open their gift.

In reading the gospel of John, we find the Lord Jesus Christ appropriating a gift of divine measure and distinction to all his believers on an occasion and time in which we would hardly consider appropriate.

The 17th chapter of John finds Jesus in a personal dialogue through prayer with the father. Part of his prayer concerns has believers. He leaves his believers with a gift of divine prayer despite knowing he must leave his earthly abode.

Even more profound is the fact that Jesus is aware of the degradation he will face and the impending suffering of the cross awaits.

Still, it is his believers that he has on his mind and declares to the father that which he has been given he also gives to those he loves. However, the gift that he bestows upon his believers must be honored through a consent decree of “unity and oneness” of the people that claim to love him and follow his commandments.

This gift of divine prayer challenges all believers in these trying and evil days to not allow our religious dogma or our denominational differences to steer us away from what Christ has asked of the Father specifically for us.

That which would enhance our spirituality and mold us into a greater people that represent Him. So much so that we would be engulfed in unity and oneness of his love as we continue to not only trace his footsteps along resurrection road but to celebrate all that he continues to bestow upon us from day to day. You are challenged today from the Holy Scriptures to receive and exercise this gift to its fullest.

REV. DR. JAMES TAYLOR is pastor of Jericho Baptist Church in Farmville, his email is: jht3@verizon.net.