John 14

Scripture

 

John‬ ‭14:26-27‬ ‭

 

 “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

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Observation

 

Jesus was comforting His disciples letting them know that He would not leave them alone, although He would be leaving this world and ascending to where His Father was soon. Jesus said He was going to send them a Helper, His Holy Spirit, who would remind them of everything He taught them. 

 

Understanding

 

Jesus never left His disciples alone.

 

He gave them His Holy Spirit, revealed Himself to them when He resurrected and promised to prepare a place for them. He was and continues to be a God of all comfort evident through how He comforted His disciples before His death. 

 

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭1:3-4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

 

Life Application

 

 Be comforted knowing that He is Emmanuel (God with us) and He has not left us alone either.

 

Jesus will never abandon us and the fact that He has left us His Holy Spirit is evidence of that, as well as the fact that He is preparing a place for us.

 

The Bible likens Jesus' relationship with the Church (His bride), to a husband's relationship to His wife.  Moses and I put a deposit down on an apartment 1 month before we got married, but only Moses lived in it, while I stayed at my parents' house. During that time, he was preparing the place for us and even refused to sleep in the master bedroom (the only room with a bed) until I moved in after marriage because he wanted to keep it sacred. He slept on a futon in the other bedroom. He was preparing that place for us because he knew he was going to take me as his bride a month later because He loved me. 

Now, back to Jesus and His love for His church.  Not only did He leave us the Holy Spirit to be our helper and counselor in this world, but the fact that Jesus is preparing a place for us is evident of His love for us also. 

 

So, what are we to do while we wait for His return? How do we respond? We respond by living for Jesus. He loved us first, so loving Him in return should come naturally as we plug into His love for us daily.

 

 “In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.”

‭‭1 John‬ ‭5:3-5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

 

As Pastor Levi shared on Sunday and Pastor Gary has said as well, it's not enough to make Him Savior, but we need to make Him Lord. As we await His return, we prove our love for Him by plugging into His love for us and His Word daily and obeying His commands. As Scripture stated, His commands are not burdensome because He loved us first and gave us His Spirit.

 

Dear Lord, I thank You that You are Emmanuel and the God of all comfort in my life. Thank You that it is not a burden to obey Your commands as I chose to respond to Your love me first. I pray for others like me who need the reminder that we weren't meant to  work hard for Your affection, but instead be filled with Your love, Your Word and Spirit first. Thank You for Your constant reminder that You loved me first before I had anything to offer You. Amen.

 

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-Michelle Gaddi