Peace and joy are closely connected. The birth of Jesus is not only “good news of great joy” but also of “peace on earth” (Luke 2:10,14)....

The New Testament is a joyful book. The Greek word for joy occurs in it as a noun 60 times and as the verb rejoice 72 times. The birth of...

Of all the qualities which the Spirit wants to produce in us, love is primary. Over every virtue, we are to “put on love, which binds...

John wrote his gospel so that by believing in Jesus “you might have life in his name” (20:30-31). This theme dominates the first 12...

17:24-26 The prayer ends with some final requests which indicate Jesus’s deep love for us. First he prays for us to be with him where he...

17:23 This verse brings to a head much of what Jesus has prayed in the previous two verses (21-22). He longs for his people to have the...

17:20-22 Having prayed first for himself and then for his disciples, Jesus goes on to pray for all who will become believers as a result...

17:14-19 The disciples will certainly need God’s protection, for both the world (14) and the devil (15) will be their enemies. The word...

17:11-13 Jesus knows that his return to the Father (11,13) will result in the disciples being in the world without the protection of his...

17:6-10 Knowing that he is about to return to the Father, Jesus goes on to pray for his disciples. This small group represented the...