December 28: John 16 15-22

Key Verse: John 16 20
Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.

Devotion:
Now that most of us have opened all the Christmas presents, we have got from everyone, we are (hopefully) happy with what we have got. We looked forward to the point when we would be able to have those presents but had no idea what was going to be in some of the boxes. But now the moment of opening has passed, we know what we have.

What we have at Christmas time and what the disciples were about to experience were two totally different things! What Christ was trying to explain to the disciples was a difficult concept to accept. He was going to die! Yet they were being told they would have something great to look forward to! But what they were about to be shown physically was the greatest present anyone would know of.

Have you ever had to share a present with anyone and they were the one who got to physically open the present? What was it like having to let them open the gift? Was the gift worth waiting for?

Christ knew exactly what the disciples were thinking, He knew exactly what they were going to think, He knew exactly what sorrow and grief they were about to experience. But, He also knew that what He was about to do would give joy to so many more people to come.

When we face sorrow in our lives, we very often get caught up in the now and do not look into the future. We look back with fondness on the then, but somehow are not able to see past the grief we bear now. But as soon as we are able to see past that point, the grief & sorrow melt away and we can often see a new reason for joy after that sorrow.

Jesus has given us so much more than we can ever imagine. He has destroyed the debt we would otherwise have had to pay. He has given eternal life to absolutely anyone who is willing to put their faith and trust in Him. His forgiveness is absolute! His gift is perfect. His gift is on display for all to see; all we have to do is take it up.

Points to Ponder:
What was your best gift this Christmas?

What do you think it would be like to have a gift for eternity?