Look More like Jesus

Hello, I'm Xochitl Dixon. I'm looking forward to sharing today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread, Look More Like Jesus. God designed the great, great owl as a master of camouflage. Its silver-gray feathers have a collective pattern of coloring, which allows it to blend into the bark when perched in trees.

When the owls want to remain unseen, they hide in plain sight, blending into their environment with the help of their feathery camouflage. God's people are often too much like the great, gray owl. We can easily blend into the world and remain unrecognized as believers in Christ, intentionally or unintentionally. In John 17, Jesus prayed for his disciples, those the Father gave him out of the world, who obeyed his word. God the Son asked God the Father to protect and empower them to live in holiness and persevering joy after he left them.

He said, My prayer is not that you take them out of the world, but that you protect them from the evil one. Jesus knew his disciples needed to be made holy and set apart so they could live out the purpose he'd sent them to fulfill. The Holy Spirit can help us turn from the temptation to become masters of camouflage that blend into the world. When we submit to him daily, we can look more like Jesus.

More like Jesus. As we live in unity and love, he'll draw others to Christ in all his glory. Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from John chapter 17, verses 6 to 17. I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours. You gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them.

They knew with certainty that I came from you and they believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours.

All I have is yours and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. While I was with them, while I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me.

None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that scripture would be fulfilled. I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world, but that you protect them from the evil one.

They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth. Your word is truth. Let's pray. Holy Spirit, please make us look so much like Jesus that others will be drawn to seek the one true God. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.