Words of Encouragement

But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. "You heard me say, 'I am going away and I am coming back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. – John 14:26-28

What Jesus’ Gift Brings. Peace. Jesus in this 14th chapter of John is preparing his disciples for what is about to happen. He tells them he is going away and what he does it lets them know he is not leaving them alone and unprepared for their life ahead. Jesus comforts his disciples with the knowledge that they will see him again if they follow his ways.

He also comforts them by telling them the way to get to the blessings of eternal life with God and that is through Jesus. He lets his disciples know they can get to the Father through him because he is the way that God has prepared for all men to come to the Father.

Then Jesus promises them with the comforter. He tells them that even though he must go back to the Father, he is not leaving them alone. The difference is the world cannot see him or know him because they will not accept him to live in them. The comforter will only be shown to those that seek the Father through the Son. There was one that asked, why would you show us but not the world?

Jesus answers and says anyone that loves him will obey his teaching and the Father will come and make his home with them. But those that do not obey his teaching cannot see the Father. So after Jesus has comforted his disciples with what is to come, he again reminds them of what he is going to do.

These verses tell them that Jesus is sending the comforter so that they will have what they need. He will teach them all things, he will remind them of all that they have been taught and he will guide them. This promise then is topped off with the promise of godly peace. Jesus promises them peace not as the world gives but a peace that can only come from God. Jesus shows them in these verses how peace will be enacted through the Holy Spirit (comforter). Because the Holy Spirit will guide you, teach you and remind you of what you have been taught, it takes the worry from you on what to do and how to do it. You and I don’t have to worry about having ALL the answers for the “test”. Have you ever prepared for a test and you crammed trying to keep everything inside, but sometimes it just didn’t work out. Well we can go into our “test” without the stress of thinking we need to have all the answers remembered, because this test is different. The Holy Spirit’s job is to come alongside of us in the midst of our test and to bring back that which we know and then to teach us that which we do know. He is the one we go to for the answers. He has the correct answer key to every test; we just need to trust him.

This is why we can have peace and not be afraid in our life’s journey. I pray that we take the time today to thank God for his gift of peace. Let us thank him for the opportunity offered to us through the cross of peace. We can be still when the world around us is in unrest. We can find tranquility and calm when the pressure on our emotions would want to make us feel like a ship beaten by the heavy waves of the ocean. We can find that secret place, that sheltered place that only comes from our trust in God’s Spirit. He leaves us peace, peace that the world cannot give. The world cannot give this peace because the world does not know the Father and they have no part with him. Jesus gives us the peace through his gift of the cross. His gift to know the Father is given when we allow ourselves to know him.