John 16:5-15 (NKJV) - “But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. 8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; 11 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
12 I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you."
For the remainder of this week, let us ponder what Jesus had to say about the work of the Holy Spirit. We will come back to this topic again in the future. The doctrine of the Holy Spirit is one of the most misunderstood teachings in the Bible. Some deny Him, others attribute too much to Him. We must keep our focus on the Father, but not neglect the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Today we will ponder on what Jesus said in verse 7 - "Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you " (bold mine). Jesus first says that the Holy Spirit comforts. He called him "the Helper" which comes from the Greek word paráklētos which means to encourage or comfort. [To get a little technical for a moment, this word is a singular, masculine noun. In the question that arises is the Holy Spirit a "He" or an "It" - we see that Jesus recognized Him as a He.]
Jesus is saying to His disciples in this passage that it was necessary for Him to go away so that they could get something special - the Holy Spirit. The comforter, or encourager lives in us when we receive the Son. This encourager works to help us live a proper spiritual life. The Holy Spirit is a "cheerleader" who lives in us, encouraging us through the trials and temptations of life. He is there to help us live the way we should.
Muse for a moment on whether you are living a life that is truly pleasing to God. If not, could it be that you are holding back the Holy Spirit from guiding and leading you? Today, let go and let Him take control. Listen to His words of comfort and encouragement. And see what kind of adventure He will take you on. Trust Him - He's always right.
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