I hope you had a wonderful celebration yesterday. I pray that it was filled with joy and laughter and the blessing of family and friends.
Today many will be thinking about heading home. If you’re traveling I pray that your journey is safe and uneventful. Today I would like to give you one more gift, a parting gift as it were, – probably not the last gift that you will receive but I hope it is one of the most important.
“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.” John 14:27 NLT
There have been times that we have had house guests and when they leave we find a “parting gift”. Most often it is a little note laying on the pillow with words of thanks but there have even been times it was an actual gift as a token of their appreciation. These gestures are totally unexpected and cherished.
None of us know what this next year will hold. Quite honestly none of us know what today will hold and sometimes that can be unnerving. That’s why this gift is so special.
Jesus was getting ready to lay aside His physical earthly life and reclaim His deity and His place in heaven. He had been earth’s guest for over thrity years but He didn’t want to leave us empty handed. He left us a gift.
“The Helper is the Holy Spirit. The Father will send Him in My place. He will teach you everything and help you remember everything I have told you.” John 14:26 NLV
Jesus, in His earthly body, was limited by time and space. He could only be in one place at time. But the Holy Spirit is capable of being omnipresent. He is able to comfort and help people all over the world, all at the same time.
The Holy Spirit is God’s presence evident thoughout the world. He is our comforter, our helper, our intercessor, our instructor, our peace.
We may be parting from loved ones in the upcoming days but there is One who will never part company with us, He is our constant companion. He is the Spirit of God.
“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. 14 He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.’” John 16:13-15 NLT
May we always be mindful that we are not alone. We have the “Helper” who comes to give us peace.