John 14:16-31
Jesus now shares more in depth about the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the disciples as well as us. First notice the Father sends the Holy Spirit to us at Jesus’ request. Here Jesus refers to Him as the Helper. He is truly the facilitator of God’s will for our lives. Next, notice that there is a promise that the Spirit will abide with us forever. That is a change that the disciples don’t fully understand. Up until this time the Holy Spirit may have ministered to individuals in specific situations but He did not abide with them.
Notice in v. 21 as He speaks about Christians He says “he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to Him.” That is a tremendous promise Jesus has given us. The Holy Spirit is active in helping us to understand God’s Word as we study it so that we might learn more about our Savior. One way Jesus reveals His love to us is the sending of the Holy Spirit to dwell with us and minister to us in so many ways.
Jesus mentions two different ways the Spirit helps us in v. 26; He teaches us all things and He also brings them to our remembrance. My parents urged me as a child to memorize the Scripture and it is continually evident that the Spirit brings those verses back to my mind as I have need of them in my life. It is extremely important that we memorize Scripture so that the Holy Spirit can use it in our lives.
The Holy Spirit is also an agent of peace in our lives. As Christians, we have a settled assurance that regardless of what transpires in this world, our future is secure in Christ. We know that God’s best for us is going to be accomplished if we remain in His will. We also have the confident knowledge that our eternal life is secure.
We’re told in other places in God’s Word not to grieve (Eph. 4:30) or quench (I Thes. 5:19) the Holy Spirit, because if we do He doesn’t have free reign in our lives and we are unable to receive the benefits discussed above. Unconfessed sin in our lives impairs our relationship to Him.
I pray that you will seek to be obedient to God’s will in your life and will thrive in your relationship with Him.
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