Jesus is Essential
John 16:25–28: “These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you plainly about the Father. In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God. I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father.”
Jesus explained that there would be a new situation because of His resurrection and ascension, and because of the coming of the Holy Spirit. He would no longer speak to them in terms that demanded spiritual insight for their understanding. He would speak to them plainly and reveal the Father to them. There in the Upper Room, He had used a number of symbolic images to get His message across: the washing of their feet, the “Father’s house,” the vine and branches, and the birth of a baby.
In the days that followed, these images would become clearer to the disciples as they would be taught by the Spirit of God. The purpose of Bible study is not simply to understand profound truths, but to get to know the Father better. If our reading and Bible study falls short of this, it does more harm than good. 1
Walking with Jesus
Read 1 John 2:1, then pray to the Father in the name of your Advocate. Pray a bold and dangerous prayer that will shake your faith and move your heart for more of Him.
Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Romans 8:34
The One who loves you is more available to you than you are to Him.
Praying
Lord, teach me how to believe and receive all that the Father has for me.
1. Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
