Friday... Yes, there is an advantage.

John 16:7a (AMP), "But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage."

Friday... Yes, there is an advantage.

It can be very difficult for us to really see an advantage when to us it is a disadvantage. Now here in John 16, Jesus is telling his twelve disciples that he was going to be leaving them and they were having real problems about it. I mean, they have been with him for three years. And he has been and was making such a difference in their lives but he was going to leave them.

For some of you, your child has grown up. They have been with you all of these years but here they have just graduated from high school and they are going to be leaving you and you are not sure they can handle it without you and for sure you know that you can't make it. And at least 11 of these disciples were having problems with Jesus leaving.

But Jesus said here in John 16;7a (AMP), "But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage." But how can that be true?

Again these guys had been with Jesus almost everyday for three years and in no way could they make it without him but they had to. You see, Jesus' could not really do what God wanted him to do anymore because of his humanness. Jesus needed to be released. The human part was holding him back and to really make the difference with his being on earth he had to die, be resurrected and then to return to heaven.

Yes, Jesus had a tremendous impact while he was here on earth but he could only be in one place at a time. Yes, God the Father knew what he was doing.

Now the whole verse 7 says, "But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away, the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor, Counselor, Strengthener, Standby) will not come to you, but if I go, I will send Him (the Holy Spirit) to you [to be in close fellowship with you]." Jesus knew that we really, really needed that to happen.

He goes on. Verse 8 says, "And He, when He comes, will convict the world about [the guilt of] sin [and the need for a Savior], and about righteousness, and about judgment."

We need to not only read about why Jesus came but we need to be reinforced of our need for why he came. Everyone of us need that.

Jesus says in verses 9-11 (NLT), "The world's sin is that it refuses to believe in me. Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more. Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged."

So many times in life we can't understand the advantage of having someone out ahead of us and who sees all the problems and who can handle them. That is why we need someone in our life who sees the future, who sees the enemy, who has what it takes to handle what we are facing.

Yes, we need the Bible but we also need the Holy Spirit to reinforce what it says. Yes, the Holy Spirit is definitely an advantage. He definitely makes a difference in our lives. He knows. and has the power.

Verse 13 says, "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future." Yes, we definitely need that, don't we?

Yes, God knows what he is doing. He knows what we need. So believe in Jesus and seek after His Spirit. That is a great advantage to living this life that God has given us to live. Again, God knows what he is doing. And he knows what we need. He knows the advantage. Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning

Tuesday... I wonder what would happen if we didn't take the credit?

Nehemiah 6:16b (NLT), "They realized this work had been done with the help of our God." Tuesday... I wonder what would happen if we didn't take the credit? Over in the Old Testament in the book of Nehemiah it tells of a major task that through the leadership of Nehemiah was accomplished. The walls of Jerusalem had been torn down and God had laid it on Nehemiah to build those walls back up. It was definitely an almost impossible task but Nehemiah 6:15-16 says, "So on October 2 the wall was finished - just fifty-two days after we had begun. When our enemies and the surrounding nations heard about it, they were frightened and humiliated. They realized this work had been done with the help of our God." Now, we so many times want to take credit for doing the impossible. It would make such a difference for us. But I wonder what would happen through us if God got the credit? Psalm 96 tells us what we are to do. Verses 2-3 says, "Sing to the LORD; praise his name. ...

Tuesday... We just have trouble listening.

1 Corinthians 13:7 (NLT), "Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." Tuesday... We just have trouble listening. Over in Jeremiah 25:4 (NLT) it says, "Again and again the LORD has sent you his servants, the prophets, but you have not listened or even paid attention." And Jeremiah went on to tell what was going to happen. There will be consequences if we do not listen to what God says through his Word. Now the Apostle Paul over in 1 Corinthians was having a problem with some professed Christ followers who were having trouble at listening. And we too can have problems at listening. We can think that being a Christ follower means we do a lot of finger pointing and we give up on people who don't do what we say. We can even do that in our families. But Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13:7 (NLT), "Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." In verse ...

Thursday... Yet, now this is true.

Colossians 1:22a (NLT), "Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body." Thursday... Yet, now this is true. Now Paul a prisoner in Rome is writing a letter to a church in Colossae. And in Colossians 1:21 (MSG) he says, "Once you were alienated from God and were hostile in your minds, engaging in evil deeds" The NLT says "This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated by your evil thoughts and actions." And that is where so many in this world live today. They are blowing it and they don't know what to do. Yes, they are hostile in their minds and they are engaging in evil deeds but there is Good News. Now Paul in verses 19-20 sets the stage for an answer to those who don't want to live that way. He says, "For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and earth b...

Today's Beginning

Search This Blog