In making you holy, God has put you in an entirely new position in relation to Christ and to the world. Four things are true of you in Christ: You are given, glorified, called, and sent.

The first dimension of your holiness is that you are given. You are the gift of the Father to the Son. You are His, so be who you are.

It is natural for us to think about Jesus being the Father’s gift to us, but did you ever stop to think about the fact that you are the Father’s gift to Jesus? That is exactly what we find here. “Yours they were, and you gave them to me” (17:6). “I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me” (17:9).

Think about a wedding. The pastor asks, “Who gives this woman to be married to this man?” The father of the bride says, “I do.” Then he takes her hand and places it into the hand of the bridegroom. She is “given” to her husband.

The Church is the bride of Christ. The Father has called you and has drawn you to faith, and He gives you to His Son Jesus Christ. It is significant that the Father’s gift to the Son is not the world. Remember, it was Satan who showed Christ the kingdoms of the world and all their splendour and said, “All these I will give you” (Mat. 4:9).

Jesus turned His back on the offer. You are worth more than all the world to Jesus. You are given to Him by the Father.

Reflect on the fact that you are a gift Jesus valued more than all the world.