John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
You should read John 14-16 as an encouragement today.
I have been thinking a lot about how much pain and trouble is all around me and how many trials and opportunities are around me right now. I can not imagine trying to do life without the Helper. I am so far over my head at every turn, so lacking in wisdom and discernment, so weak and yet I have the Helper, the Comforter to guide, strengthen and direct me. I would be lost without Him.
Can you picture the scene through these 3 chapters? Jesus is telling His disciple all they need to know. He is telling them about going to Heaven to prepare a place for them, about being the Only Way to get to Heaven, that those who will get to Heaven are those who obey His Word, not leaving them as orphans but sending them a Comforter, being connected to the Vine in order to bear fruit, being hated by the world because He was hated, the work of the Holy Spirit, turning sorrow into joy and then He ends with 16:33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."
What a difficult time this must have been for them. They had been with Jesus for 3 years and He had been their teacher, friend and comforter and now He was leaving? These grown men had to be saying, "We can't do this ourselves, we aren't smart enough, strong enough or enough in number to do all this. There is too much work and not enough workers. We're scared about what is going to happen" Jesus has the answer and He is the Answer.
In vs 33 this is where we live- in tribulation. Life is hard and then you die is where we are called to live as believers. God did not call us to a life of ease. They hated Him and they will hate us, but only if we are not the same as they are. Jesus was hated because He was light in a very dark world and He called people to repent from their wickedness. Are we hated because we call sin "sin", or do we just let it go unchecked?
There are so many promises in these 3 chapters and one of them is that Jesus went to prepare a home for us and He is going to come back for us, but while He is away He left us a Comforter Who knows the encouragement that we need. He knows more about what we need than we do. I can't imagine trying to do this life without Him. We have a Father Who loves us very much and wants what is best for us, we have an Advocate before the Father Who knows our temptations- because He came to earth to have those temptations- and yet He never fell to them, and He left us the Comforter who instructs us in the way that we should go and convicts us of sin.
Oh that today would be the day of His return and yet if it is not today He has work prepared for us to do and souls to bring into the Kingdom. Maybe today will be he day that you are instrumental in leading someone to Christ and maybe that one person is the last one on this earth as we know it.
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