Full Measure of Joy Today's Three-minute Bible Study Print, Study and Apply Title: Full Measure of Joy--------------------------------------- Date: 7/23/2000 Keywords: "full" "joy" "protection" "word" "world" Welcome to eXXit, the web site designed to help you stand strong in the face of sexual temptation. Passage: John 17:13-16* 13. "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. 14. 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. 15. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Questions 1. Do you think, as Jesus prayed this prayer and faced imminent death, that he was aware of a "full measure of joy" within himself?   2. What does it mean to be "not of the world"?   3. Wouldn't you rather Jesus had just asked for you to be taken out of the world?   4. Why did Jesus feel it was important to pray this prayer before he was taken out of the world?   Practical help Jesus knew something important that often escapes us. He knew that there was only one source of true joy — fellowship with God. He could rejoice even in the middle of being betrayed to death. His prayer was for the immediate benefit of the men seated around the table with him, to assure them that even though things were about to get really rough, his Father was there for them. His prayer also speaks to us, because we often forget that God is here, now, and that he is able to protect us. Remember where joy comes from. It doesn't come from sexy pictures or secret, shameful behavior. It comes from knowing that no power is great enough to pull us away from a God who loves us. As long as we are here in this world, we will be challenged to rely on him; we will be attacked by the evil one. We bring glory to Jesus when we rely on his protection and not our own strength to see us through. eXXit homepage Index of three-minute studies Copyright 2000 by eXXit *Scriptures are from The Holy Bible: New International Version, © copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. All rights reserved.