"But I [Jesus] tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you;"  - John 16:7

I don't know about you, but that verse has puzzled me a time or two.

It's better for you to leave us, Jesus? What could be better than being with You IN PERSON? *bewildered shake of the head*

I've always taken this truth with the attitude that God knows best, and there's some things I just won't understand. Perhaps when I get to heaven I can ask for clarification...

But as I found out today, sometimes you don't have to "wait for heaven." As Charles Spurgeon was detailing John 14:18 ("I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.") in the book, Joy in Christ's Presence he shared the following, "It is true that Jesus is not here in body, but His spiritual presence is quite as blessed as His bodily presence would have been. Actually, it is better, for if Jesus Christ were here in person, we could not all come and touch the hem of His garment - not all at once, at any rate. There might be thousands waiting all over the world to speak with Him, but how could they all reach Him if He were merely here in body? Everyone might be waiting to tell Him something, but in the body He could only receive one or two at a time.

But there is not need for you to say a word; Jesus hears your thoughts and attends to all your needs in the same moment. There is no need to press to get at Him because the crowd is large, for He is as near to me as He is to you, and as near to you as to believers all over the world. He is present everywhere, and all His beloved may talk to Him. You can tell Him at this moment the sorrows that you dare not open up to anyone else. In declaring them to Him, you will feel that you have hardly breathed them into the air before He has hear you. He is a real person, one so real that it is as if you could grip His hand and see the loving sparkle of His eye and the sympathetic look of His countenance."

So true, isn't?

Thank You, Holy Spirit for a  fresh look at John 16:7.

Together...

...what a magical word.

Stumbled upon this song and had to share. If you get the chance, check out some of Jillian's other songs.

It's all about motive...

A recent excerpt from my journal:

"There's been a bit of a debate going on inside me. I'm sore about something...make that two somethings. I'm wondering if I should let them go, those two painful somethings - or allow them to fuel a discussion with the perpetrators. My relatively sane, "good" side cautions that it would be selfish to hold onto the hurts, and that I should never allow them to influence my actions or words to a person...but then, my bad side doesn't want to dismiss the injuries so fast - strongly declaring that a severe injustice has been committed. When will the offenders learn if I don't react with a certain measure of negativity?

Is it wrong to let my hurt propel me to action?

The little voice inside asks me to consider what Christ would do.

Honestly, sometimes I'm just so frustrated by this agape love that I am supposed to show others...it doesn't leave any room for me!"

Choosing to walk in love isn't easy.

What You Have When You Have Jesus

Sometimes I really wish I didn't have to be at work at 9am.

This week I was late a few minutes almost every day (I was having one of those weeks where I just couldn't get myself organized). Just as I would pull into my parking spot I would catch a few minutes of who would be teaching on the local Moody radio program, Today in the Word, as it would start. The soulful voice of Rev. E. V. Hill caught my attention as did the title of his message, What You Have When You Have Jesus. For a split second I was truly debating whether to be super late to work...but my commitment to my job won out. I was however, fortunate to hear enough to get me thinking. What DO we have when we have Jesus? As I caught snippets of part 1 and 2 of Rev. Hill's message over the past two mornings (no, I was not late on purpose lol) he shared how we have a peace with God and the peace of God. A major component for sure, but just the tip of the iceberg.

The writer of Hebrews urges us to "consider Jesus," and as we do so we can't help but be in complete awe of what goes with our association with Him. In Paul's letter to the Ephesians, he encourages them with the thought that they have been "blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places." And this is just the beginning of a list that would definitely circle the earth twice over. Have you taken a moment to think about what you have when you have Jesus?

"Study to know the value of His blessings. They are not ordinary things, like costume jewelry or imitation gemstones. Instead, every one of them is so costly that, if all heaven had been drained of treasure, apart from precious offering of the Redeemer, not the least of His benefits could be purchased. When you see your pardon, consider how great a blessing is contained in it! Hell would have been your eternal portion if Christ had not plucked you from the fire! When you are enabled to see yourself as clothed in the imputed righteousness of Jesus, admire the profusion of precious things of which your robe is made." Charles Spurgeon