Today's Reading: John 16: 12-22
**For a simple and good way of Daily Devotion method please click this link: Subject Shifting Devotion.pdf.
Please click this link to read John 16: 12-22
Bible Study
This passage tells us something that can't happen or rarely happen. Do you want to know? It's about how grief turns to joy. It's almost impossible. Why?
Grief is a kind of deep or violent sorrow. It usually happen when you have your love one dies or your love one hurts you very much. The only time for me to experience grief turns to joy is to see my wife Michelle did not die because of lukemia but is now completely recovered! That's grief turns to joy!
N.T. Wright says:
Like Paul in Romans 8, Jesus in this passage uses the imagery of giving birth to express what is going to happen, and invites his followers to prepare themselves for a sorrow, and a subsequent lasting joy, that is modelled on the sorrow and joy of a woman going into labour.
The reality to me is more than the labouring because in labouring a woman is expecting her new baby to be born. But here, it's more than that! Jesus warned them of the dying that he was going to experience and the rising that was going to happen. The similar dying and rising process of each one of His disciples including you and me. We have lots of things to die in order to be born again and to continue this daily dying and rising renewal process to be more like Christ - our spiritual journey of Christlikeness.
There are three steps that we need to take according to this passage and the previous one:
1. Repent: We need the Holy Spirit to reveal our sins so that we know what to confess and repent. Just as John the Baptist and Jesus says, "Repent, for the Kingdom of God is near." Turning away from our wrong path and return into His Kingdom path so that we can walk with Jesus each day.
2. Listen: If we can go through the repentance process with the help of the Holy Spirit, then the Holy Spirit can be able to "guide us into all truth"(v. 13). We can be able to listen to the voice of Jesus the first time or again and again. Before that because we are in sin we are like someone who is deaf.
3. See: Then we can see Jesus and be with Him each day! (v. 22) That's the greatest joy we can never experience!
So, today the Holy Spirit invites you to enter into this "grief will turn to joy" spiritual journey. Are you willing to let the Holy Spirit to hold your hand to start this wonderful joyful journey now?
Have a time to be still and give the Holy Spirit space to speak through the passage of scripture we have just read. Offer this time up to Jesus as you listen to him, while listening to "Gabriel's Oboe"
Spiritual Journal
What I heard from Jesus today is: Grief will turn to joy!
What I received from Jesus today is really very important. The process to turn grief to joy means lots of things. It means you have to stop doing lots of things Jesus does not want you to do and to do lots of things Jesus wants you to do.
If you are willing to enter into this journey and be ready to be filled with the Holy Spirit, then the Holy Spirit will guide you the process. And you are able to see Jesus and have Jesus to help you winning over Satan's cunning plan to do things Jesus does not want you to do and to not do things Jesus wants you to do.
The truth and secret is that we have no power to win Satan but only Jesus. The joy is that only in Jesus you will prevail! Jesus is Lord!
Let's begin this journey of Christlikeness and continue this journey daily forever!
Dear Holy Spirit,
I am willing to have you guiding me to begin this daily journey of Christlikeness. Help me and lead me so that I can see Jesus and walk with Him each day. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
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