12/12/2024 – “Personality” / “… that they may be one just as we are one…” – John 17:22
Comment: Pray through all of Chapter 17 – it’s amazingly sublime and joyful!
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“Personality is the unique, limitless part of our life that makes us distinct from everyone else. it is too vast for us even to comprehend. An island in the sea may be just the top of a large mountain, and our personality is like that island. We don’t know the great depths of our being, therefore we cannot measure ourselves. We start out thinking we can, but soon realize that there is really only one Being who fully understands us, and that is our Creator.
Personality is the characteristic mark of the inner, spiritual man, just as individuality is the characteristic of the outer, natural man. Our Lord can never be described in terms of individuality and independence, but only in terms of His total Person — ‘I and My Father are one’ (John 10:30). Personality merges, and you only reach your true identity once you are merged with another person. When love or the Spirit of God come upon a person, he is transformed. he will then no longer insist on maintaining his individuality. Our Lord never referred to a person’s individuality or his isolated position, but spoke in terms of the total person —‘… that they may be one just as We are one….’ Once your rights to yourself are surrendered to God, your true personal nature begins responding to God immediately. Jesus Christ brings freedom to your total person, and even your individuality is transformed. The transformation is brought about by love — personal devotion to Jesus. Love is the overflowing result of one person in true fellowship with another.”
Soli Deo Gloria indeed!
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Comment:
Many years ago, I was in a 90 day read through the Bible at our local church. At the end of Job, a brother got up and commented how Job was so blessed, more than ever at the end in that he had many children again. I remember , not a criticism, but just thinking: “you are losing me brother on that one”: Our Triune LORD’s love is literally unfathomable as is His power; I expect it will remain so in heaven. (In other words, it is good that I have eternity to come to “know” Him, for that is how long it will take me.) I reflected from the brother’s comment: If I lost one child in this world, I don’t care if I had twenty children after that, nothing in this world could replace that one child that I lost, at least for the relative breath that I have left in this world. I would be mourning that child until my very last breath! I could not replace that unique love.
So, if I can so uniquely love that one child out of twenty: Could Almighty God unfathomably love one child of say 12 billion souls that have ever lived or will live up until Yeshua’s (Jesus’) 2nd coming? I would submit emphatically: Absolutely!, For God’s love is infinitely greater than mine, it’s plain and simple. So, it doesn’t have to be so, but I recall a theologian amidst “ideaphoria” submit that Yeshua has a unique nickname , it will be only between us. Love is relational by definition so perfect love is perfectly relational. There is no “self” in it! We will be eternally free from that!; Hallelujah! Amen!