Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit
15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”
22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”
23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them."
As I put on my favorite necklace, I realized one of the links was missing. I had not known it was broken when I placed it in the drawer, but now the necklace was useless to me until the links were joined again. A week earlier I had seen a small silver link on the carpet. Not knowing where it came from, I had picked it up and placed it on the side of the sink. Now I could repair the necklace.
Like the broken necklace, we can become broken in our spiritual life. This brokenness can happen when any one of life’s devastating losses comes our way — illness, death of a loved one, job loss, divorce. Feeling disconnected from God can happen when we have an argument with a family member or a friend, or when we have an unpleasant encounter with a co-worker or even a stranger at the store.
Our brokenness can be repaired through prayer, personal devotional time, and meditation. We can reconnect with God through Bible study, Sunday school, and community worship. God always provides a link for us if we will take advantage of it.
Thought for the Day
We never have to live apart from God.
Prayer
Help us, O God, to stay linked to you. Amen.
Prayer focus People who feel disconnected from God
