OK a little bit of a hectic morning but as usual God has got me covered. I have also been led by him to pray about starting a bible study group at my house so I ask that you pray for his guidance today for this endeavor. Here is today's word.
John 16:5-33 (New International Version)
The Work of the Holy Spirit
5"Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' 6Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. 7But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt[a] in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: 9in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; 10in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
12"I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. 15All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.
16"In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me."
The Disciples' Grief Will Turn to Joy
17Some of his disciples said to one another, "What does he mean by saying, 'In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,' and 'Because I am going to the Father'?" 18They kept asking, "What does he mean by 'a little while'? We don't understand what he is saying."
19Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, "Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, 'In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me'? 20I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 21A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. 22So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. 23In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.
25"Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. 26In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. 27No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. 28I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father."
29Then Jesus' disciples said, "Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. 30Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God."
31"You believe at last!"[b] Jesus answered. 32"But a time is coming, and has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.
33"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
In his last moments with the disciples, Jesus 1. warned them about further persecution 2. Told them where, when, and why he was going. 3. Assured them they would not be left alone. God wants us to know that we are not alone. We have the Holy Spirit to comfort us, teach us truth,and help us. Unless Jesus did what he came to do , there would be no gospel. He had to die to remove our sins and he had to leave us so that the Holy Spirit could come down. While Christ could only be one place at a time on earth, he could send the Holy Spirit to be everywhere. The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sins and calls us to repentance.It also reveals God's standard of righteousness to all believers and to demonstrate Christ's judgement over Satan. According to Jesus, not believing in him is a sin.
Jesus says the Holy Spirit will tell us what's yet to come. It revealed truth to the disciples that they wrote in the books known as the New Testament. Jesus even foretold of his death in this passage. While the disciples wept the world rejoiced over Jesus' death. He knew of this beforehand too. We as Christians may often feel like misfits in this world. We must keep our eye on the future and on God's promises. The spirit allowed us a new pathway to God. Before the resurrection, people approached God through a priest.After the resurrection, we are able to talk to God through the Holy Spirit. When we confess our sin, God will deliver us from judgement on those sins. As christians, we have to expect the world to not line up with our beliefs, but we can expect peace and comfort through Christ. Jesus told the disciples to take courage. In spite of the coming struggles they would face, they would never be alone. Jesus doen't abandon us either. We will always be able to claim the peace of Christ because Jesus has already won the ultimate victory.
We worship for God's benefit. Our goal is to bring pleasure to God, not ourselves. God doesn't want tradition when we worship. He wants our passion and commitment. Worship is a continual process. We don't just worship God on Sunday, we are supposed to worship daily and always. Do everything as if you were doing it for Jesus and converse with him constantly. I constantly thought of Keri throughout our days together. I abided in her love. This is the same response that I should give to God except stronger. We must fall in love with Jesus. We were planned for God's pleasure, and we should always try to please him.
Lord, Thank you for the Holy Spirit. Thank you for sending your son so that when he ascended we could have the Holy Spirit be with all of us all of the time. Give me opportunities to serve you today. Help me to be content with what I have and not focus on what I don't have.Everything I have belongs to you. I ask that you show me your ways and your will for my life. Lord just open the door for me and I will walk through it. No matter how scary the situation may be, I will not be fearful because I can do all things through you. Lord please pierce my heart to worship you constantly. I pray for the sick, the homebound, our soldiers and this nation that you sustain them and give them what they need. I pray for a revival in our churches that people will feel the spirit and I pray that when people have storms in their life,that they turn to you and not turn away from you. I hope that I bring you joy in the way that I live my life. Lord help me to be slow to anger and quick to forgive. I pray for this bible study that you have led me to and pray that you get all the glory from it. Lead and direct my path in this situation. Thank you for all the wonderful people that you have placed in my life that help to guide and comfort me. Please forgive me for my sins in your name I pray......amen
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