“If you love me, obey my commandments.  And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.  He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.  The world can not receive Him, because it isn’t looking for Him and doesn’t recognize Him.  But you know Him, because He lives with you now and later will be in you.  (John 14: 15-17)

We do not talk enough about the Holy Spirit.  He is much more than a sideline we receive at baptism.  He is the key to us being successful in this life in finding joy, peace, and real meaning.  It is amazing that as powerful as the Holy Spirit is, He is a quiet force within all who not only love Jesus but strive to obey what Jesus told us in His word and by the life He lived.  We will never be perfect, not while we live in this body for it has a nature of sin born into it ever since Adam and Eve who first decided to disobey God.  So, we need to do the opposite and be in the battle to obey Jesus’s words and to learn His ways, we find those answers in the pages of the Bible, in prayer, and fellowship with like-minded people.  Jesus knows how difficult that can be for us to do with satan battling against and accusing us, so Jesus asked God to give us another Advocate to give us the inner strength we lack, to help us to understand what we don’t, and to guide us into all truth.  We don’t talk enough about the Holy Spirit and we underestimate the power that He brings to our lives.  God used the creative force of the Holy Spirit to fashion the universe and to also raise Jesus from the dead.  And that same force for obedience to the commands of God and Jesus is in all of us who truly love Jesus.  Those who are not looking for the Holy Spirit don’t recognize Him and are missing out on a powerful love relationship with Jesus and the very power that keeps us in the game of obeying His commands.  This can happen to people who don’t go to church and for some of us who do.  So, become more acquainted with the Holy Spirit.  He is always there and will lead you into all truth and give you power, peace of mind, contentment, and joy.  Somethings that we really need in this crazy society where we live.

“He’s Always There” by CeCe Winans

If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is.  From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him!  Have I been with you all this time, Phillip, and yet you still don’t know who I am?  Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father!  So, why are you asking me to show Him to you?  Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?  The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does His work through me.  Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me.  Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do.  (John 14: 7-11)

I can’t be hard or critical of Phillip’s doubt.  I have the benefit of reading about Jesus in the Bible and the experiences of the disciples and other characters during biblical times.  I often wonder how Jesus would be accepted had he made his appearance in 2018?  I believe Jesus understood Phillip’s doubt and He was calling Phillip then and us now to a higher calling, Jesus did simplify it for us by saying “Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do.”  Over 2000 years later, we don’t have the excuse of not seeing Jesus in the flesh to not know Him.  If you are into astronomy or not if you really look at the universe that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit created it will simply blow you away about the power of The Holy Trinity.  Or simply look up at the sun!  The biggest star in our neck of the universe and you have to believe in God!  Man, surely didn’t put it there!  To know Jesus is to know God.  How fortunate are we that God chose our little planet to come to as Jesus to do His work, giving us (though underserving) His plan of salvation, enduring the humiliation of dying on the cross for our sins, and then rising from the dead, paving the way for all to have the opportunity of everlasting life in heaven, and giving us the Holy Spirit as a down-payment of heaven and power as He trains us to live the way God wants us to live.  Let us not be like many of the Jewish and Gentile nations of biblical times and miss out on the most incredible opportunity that has or will ever happen for us.  Accept Jesus as your Savior and Lord before it is too late.

“Tomorrow” by The Winans

“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.  You can ask for anything in my name and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father.  Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.  (John 14: 12-14)

If you are searching for the truth to try to make some sense of this existence, you must go to the Holy Bible.  If we believe in God, we will do the same works Jesus did and even greater works because he was on earth for 33 years.  What are these works?  First, Jesus listened to the Father and did what the Father instructed Him to do.  We need to love God with all of our heart, soul, and strength and live in a way that pleases Him.  Every day we should read from the Bible and be instructed by the word of God. Jesus took care of the poor and those less fortunate by taking opportunities to share the word and giving sustenance and time to help them.  By taking care of our fellow brothers and sisters especially those who are workers in the spreading of the gospel we can know that God is with us.  By working out our salvation with fear and trembling and by obeying God especially when no one else is around to see.  By living our lifestyle in a way that people see that God is in our life and taking the opportunity to share what He is doing in our life with others.  Do these works according to the ability that we have and not begrudgingly, but as a lifestyle.  The more ability and resources one has the more that is required to be done out of gratitude for what God has given, but whatever we can do be it sharing the gospel or giving, or sharing a smile do it with the strength that God provides being quick to give Him the glory. When we are living in harmony with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit we can ask for anything in the name of Jesus and He will do it.

“The Things We Do” by Yolanda Adams

“If you love me, obey my commandments.  And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.  He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.  The world can not receive Him, because it isn’t looking for Him and doesn’t recognize Him.  But you know Him, because He lives with you now and later will be in you.  (John 14: 15-17)

We do not talk enough about the Holy Spirit.  He is much more than a sideline we receive at baptism.  He is the key to us being successful in this life in finding joy, peace, and real meaning.  It is amazing that as powerful as the Holy Spirit is, He is a quiet force within all who not only love Jesus but strive to obey what Jesus told us in His word and by the life He lived.  We will never be perfect, not while we live in this body for it has a nature of sin born into it ever since Adam and Eve who first decided to disobey God.  So, we need to do the opposite and be in the battle to obey Jesus’s words and to learn His ways, we find those answers in the pages of the Bible, in prayer, and fellowship with like-minded people.  Jesus knows how difficult that can be for us to do with satan battling against and accusing us, so Jesus asked God to give us another Advocate to give us the inner strength we lack, to help us to understand what we don’t, and to guide us into all truth.  We don’t talk enough about the Holy Spirit and we underestimate the power that He brings to our lives.  God used the creative force of the Holy Spirit to fashion the universe and to also raise Jesus from the dead.  And that same force for obedience to the commands of God and Jesus is in all of us who truly love Jesus.  Those who are not looking for the Holy Spirit don’t recognize Him and are missing out on a powerful love relationship with Jesus and the very power that keeps us in the game of obeying His commands.  This can happen to people who don’t go to church and for some of us who do.  So, become more acquainted with the Holy Spirit.  He is always there and will lead you into all truth and give you power, peace of mind, contentment, and joy.  Somethings that we really need in this crazy society where we live.

“He’s Always There” by CeCe Winans

No, I will not abandon you as orphans---I will come to you.  Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me.  Since I live, you also will live.  When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.  Those who accept my commands and obey them are the ones who love me.  And because they love me, my Father will love them.  And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them. (John 14: 18-21)

Do you like me sometimes feel that no one understands you, or where you’re coming from, and you feel all alone?  Jesus is reaching out His hands to have a relationship with you so good that it is better than any other relationship.  The love He is talking about is better, deeper, and more satisfying.  In a world where true love is hard to find let us not settle for anything less.  Because often we can look for love in all the wrong places.  And we can substitute the love of God for cheap imitations that leave us feeling sad and incomplete.  But why when we have someone (Jesus) who loves and cares so much about us.  I don’t want to trade a love that will last and satisfy me forever for a temporary infatuation that is short-lived.  So, my lifestyle needs to be working to improve my relationship with Jesus and constantly working on knowing His ways and obeying His commands.  The rewards of being in a committed relationship with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are So much better than anything that anyone can offer.  You won’t be lonely anymore and it will help you to improve all the relationships that you have with friends and family, and with people you meet.

“Sweeter Than The Honeycomb” by Vickie Winans

All who love Me will do what I say.  My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them.  Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me.  And remember, my words are not my own.  What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me.  I am telling you these things now while I am still with you.  But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative---that is, the Holy Spirit---He will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. (John 14: 22-26)

Jesus, who was God in the flesh prepared His disciples for His departure from this earthly realm.  To have walked, talked, touched, ate with Jesus, God in the flesh is an experience I can only imagine.  Jesus prepared the disciples because His relationship with them was getting ready to change to the type that we have today.  I can’t see Jesus in the flesh as the disciples did so it is hard for me to imagine what they felt when Jesus said goodbye, but through the Bible stories of the experiences of disciples and apostles, my faith, hearing the words of the Bible spoken, and believing, I see Jesus both in the creation and in a deep way in my inner being.  I am convicted by God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirits intense love for me.  My efforts to love them back which falls short so many times fills me with gratitude as I thank Jesus for the grace that He has given to us all.  And with the power and truth of the Holy Spirit working in me I won’t and I can’t give up pursuing to obey Jesus completely.  I wonder sometimes if that is possible for me in this body of sin to love Jesus completely the way that I should, but I guarantee that I will not stop trying until Jesus comes back again.  Until then, I am going to keep holding on, keep renewing my faith, believing for that one day when God gives me an indestructible body and I live with Him forever.

“Uphold Me” by the Winans

I am leaving you with a gift---peace of mind and heart.  And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give.  So, don’t be troubled or afraid.  Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again.  If you really loved me, you would be happy that I am going to the Father, Who is greater than I am.  I have told you these things before they happen so that when they do happen, you will believe.  (John 14: 27-29)

The disciples with Jesus were undoubtedly sad when Jesus told Him this.  Jesus, who is the greatest gift to us had to follow the plan of salvation to die and be resurrected to redeem us.  He Jesus accomplished what He came here to do and it was time to leave this imperfect world filled with rebellion, lack of faith, and many who did not recognize Him as God in the flesh.  Jesus’ peace of mind and heart is different from the peace that is available to receive in this world.  He gave us everything we need to be successful in what is more important thing to achieve, The way to everlasting life with God the Father.  And that peace of mind and heart is available to us now.  It is a peace that is rooted deep in our inner being that is unleashed from a deep relationship and dependence with a loving Savior.  It is a peace of mind and heart that is not controlled by the circumstances of this world.  It can’t be attained by money, power, status, or position.  You can’t fake it because it emanates from deep within and is given to us by Jesus.  It wakes you up in the morning and carries you through the day.  Oftentimes it keeps a smile on your face.  It needs to be shared and it is the reason that I do these series because I want to share this gift with others.  It can be shared simply by the desire to want to make others smile and say or do something to lift their burden as we trudge through this life.  It is rooted in the fact that Jesus is the greatest gift to us, God is still and always has been in control, and Jesus is coming back for all who truly love Him no matter if we are in this bodies or not.  I find incredible comfort in this and I hope you do too.

“Comforter” by the CeCe Winans

“I don’t have much time to talk to you, because the ruler of this world approaches.  He has no power over me, but I will do what the Father requires of me, so that the world will know that I love the Father.  Come, let’s be going. (John 14: 30-31)

Jesus was about taking care of business in spite of what He knew would soon befall Him.  Through everything He remained laser focused on what God required Him to do for you and me.  Satan thought that he was getting ready to win and that wrong would triumph over right, but how wrong satan is.  God is in control and He is so much more powerful than we can imagine.  Our problem is that our tendency is to try to shrink everything down to a level that we can comprehend to try to control what we see.  But God works at a level that is so far beyond our comprehension and yet He thought enough about us to come to earth in a body (Jesus Christ) to save us all and especially those who love Him.  Satan has no power over God or Jesus and satan will be put down permanently once all who are going to be saved is completed.  God is so patient and loves us so much that He gives us a new chance each day to find and/or deepen our relationship with Him.  Through faith in Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit, satan has no power over us and we too must do what God requires of us, so God will know by our actions gratitude how much we love Him.  It starts by believing that Jesus is from God and learning His ways.  Allow God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit to change you from the inside out.

“Just For Me” by Karen Clark Sheard