John, chapter 16

I apologize for being away the past few days. Once again, life has gotten in the way of my more important work here. I have no recourse, so I apologize.

Today’s lesson focuses primarily on the Holy Spirit and its role once Jesus’ earthly ministry was over. Sometimes, the role of the Holy Spirit is the hardest to grasp in the Trinity. We know the Father is the Creator God. We know Jesus is His Son and is both fully God and fully man. With the Holy Spirit, however, we are unsure as to its role. I have always understood it to be a kind of conscience. It is a guiding force that we listen for in the quiet moments when we are seeking God’s direction.

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. – John 16:12-15

So how do we listen for the Spirit? I admit, sometimes it is difficult to quiet myself and actively seek this voice even when I desperately need to do so. It is something I have tried to seek the past few days in order to combat my feelings of despair and depression, and so far it has worked well. Jesus promises us in this chapter that if we seek Him, He will find us. If we seek the Spirit of Truth, that truth will implant itself on our hearts. It will not happen immediately, but it will happen.

That also links into the pain factor that Jesus reference’s in the final part of this chapter. There are times where I feel like this life is nothing but pain. I struggle to see the joy even in daily things that should bring joy. I hold on tot his promise that it is only temporary, however. I feel like temporary is bordering on forever at the moment, but Jesus’ words here promise me that I will not have to live this temporary life forever. I am His, and because of that I will receive His wisdom and guidance.