December 30: John 16 28-33
Key Verse: John 16 33
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Devotion:
How good are you at explaining things to others? How good are (or were) your teachers at explaining things to you? In a class full of people there are going to be many ways in which things will have to be explained before everyone in that class will be able to understand what is being taught. Each one of us thinks in different ways, so much so that we may well miss something which is perfectly clear to someone sitting right next to us.
Have you ever been told something is impossible without being given any reasons or explanations? Have you ever been told something is true without being given the facts behind the truth to support it? Jesus had the perfect way of being able to get the disciples to think about what was going to happen before they got the plain truth. In this way, they were prepared for that truth when it was told. When they heard it, they knew it was the truth!
When you do some sort of science experiment at school, you know what the outcome should be and by diligently following each of the steps in the experiment, you can prove to yourself what you thought was the truth, is in fact the truth.
God has made sure we have all the evidence in the world we need. God has supplied us with His Word so we can find out the truth for ourselves. God has given us the 'experiment' so we can prove to ourselves that the truth is there!
God wants us to understand just how much has already been done for us before we get to Him. He wants us to understand He has done everything on earth for us. He wants us to understand He has done everything already! He has already overcome the world so we can accept the truth without having to pay for our shortcomings!
Points to Ponder:
What does it take for you to believe in something?
What does it take for you to believe all the truth we have in His Word?