"But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you."
John 16:7 (NIV)
A person might mistakenly think of Jesus as a victim: framed by crooked lawyers, executed falsely; just another victim of the power circle that exists in every society. Yet John 16 reveals the truth that God had planned our Lord’s departure from the very beginning. His plan to extend grace into the world is US, through the power and work of the Holy Spirit within us.
This verse sticks sideways in my head, for I can hardly believe that I have it better with my Lord in heaven and me on earth, than the disciples who had the Lord present with them in His physical body. Yet, Jesus says that it is for their (and our) good that He was going to go to heaven. I cannot count the times that I have longed for Jesus to be my side, to experience His grace, His healing power and His uncompromising holiness.
I wonder if we will believe these Words of our Lord, spoken in John 16:7? Do we have ears to hear? Will we believe that we are better off with the Holy Spirit present in our lives, than with the physical Presence of the Lord beside us? What a blessed gift the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God, because God Himself dwells inside each of His children. God is not far away, sitting in a village in Israel. God is with us, working with power in our innermost being, changing us little by little, working on our thoughts, working on our emotions, blessing us, sanctifying us, saving us. Truly it is for our good, that Jesus left this earth! Truly it is for our good that the Father sent His Spirit to each of us.
Oh friend, may we live in this precious gift. May we live in the Spirit, by the Spirit, filled to overflowing with the Spirit. May God give each of us abundant oil for our little lamp.
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