‘…The Holy Spirit–He will teach you everything…’ John 14:26 NLT
As a departing teacher might introduce the pupils to his or her replacement, so Jesus introduces us to the Holy Spirit. And what a ringing endorsement He gives Him! He calls the Holy Spirit His ‘representative’. The Holy Spirit within you comes in the name of Christ, with equal authority and identical power. How comforting it is to know that, when you’re entering a new season of life in which so many things will be different. This verse is translated in different ways. In the New International Reader’s Version, the word ‘counsellor’ is rendered ‘friend’. In the New King James Bible, He’s called ‘Helper’. In the Amplified Bible, He’s referred to as ‘Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener’. In the original Greek, the Holy Spirit is referred to as ‘parakletos’, a compound of two words: para, which means ‘alongside of’, and kletos, which means ‘one who’s designated to you’. The Holy Spirit has been assigned to come alongside you. He is the presence of Jesus with and in you. Can you see how the disciples needed this encouragement? It’s the evening before the crucifixion. By sunrise they will all have abandoned Him. Within 24 hours He will be hanging on the cross and their world will seem like it’s been turned upside down. But Jesus wants them to know: ‘You’ll never face the future without My help.’ And neither will you. Wherever the journey leads, He will be there by your side. The songwriter said, ‘And He walks with me, and He talks with me. And He tells me I am His own. And the joy we share as we tarry there, none other has ever known.’
SoulFood: Jer 10-13, Luke 22:1-23, Ps 69:1-18, Prov 8:27-29
The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright 2015
