8 for the words which You gave Me I have given to them; and they received them and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me.
9 “I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours;
10 and all things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them.
11 “I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are.
12 “While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.” John 17:6-12.
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In today’s Scripture, we read about election. “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.” John 17:6. “I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours;” John 17:9.
In today’s Scripture, we also read about unification. Jesus prays: “… keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are.” John 17:11.
As Reformed believers, we may have a tendency to dwell just on election and neglect unification. We may have a tendency to be smug and withdraw.
Instead of being like salt and light penetrating the world, we may withdraw to our salt piles.
Instead of loving others, we may be too eager to defend our actions as separating ourselves when the world when in fact we are both separating ourselves from other believers and from those unbelievers whom we should minister.
But, there is hope!
Just as God is the One Who elects, God is the One Who unifies. “I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd.” John 10:16. We also will read more about this unity soon, within this same chapter of John 17.
Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions 