May 8 With You

John 14:18-19 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.”
 
JESUS’ promises abound, don’t they? John records these fourth and fifth pledges our Savior affirms to his disciples in the span of seven verses.
   What joy to know he will not leave us as orphans! Consider an orphan’s circumstances. An orphaned child is without parents and has no sure home. There is no one to model good behavior and true obedience. An orphan can be aimless, very uncertain of her place in the world. Orphans often feel unloved because they are. They experience loneliness and have no purpose. Easily an orphan is often victimized for another’s gain.
   I was talking with a neighbor here in our Tennessee town, and she told me of having to suddenly help a 12-year-old girl whose mother had died. Because her mother had been sick for a long time, the girl had received no proper parenting. The girl knew nothing about right and wrong, social manners or essential self-care. She needed a helper to teach her right living. That is the role my neighbor fulfilled for the child. As you can imagine, the child’s life was transformed when her helper, her counselor taught her.
   Do you follow Christ? You need the Helper. Know he is with you. How sad it is in the church and as Christians that we often act as if God has left us alone to struggle on our own. We think God is “up there”, and we are down here. Even though Jesus’ promises are clear, we reject them. And we reject the Holy Spirit’s help. Our minds cannot fully grasp the Helper is with us to move our lives toward God. We wander aimlessly, without purpose. God becomes more distant. Our lives and our churches are led into the abyss of the world’s lies.
   Church of Christ, be assured in Jesus’ promise. You are never alone. The Holy Spirit – Jesus’ Helper – makes you alive in the Lord. That’s why Jesus graciously offers his fourth promise: “You will see me. Because I live, you also will live.” Receiving Jesus as Savior, the Spirit is alive in you. You are alive in Jesus. Live in this truth. Seek the Lord’s counsel. Find purpose and strength in your Savior.
   I pray your faith is a living faith to truly know your Father in heaven, his Son, Jesus Christ, and his Holy Spirit are with you always. Let the Holy Trinity guide, lead, admonish, forgive and love you constantly. Believe Jesus’ promises. The Helper is with you. You are with him. See Jesus. See the Father. Know God loves you. No Christian is an orphan.
 
Prayer: I rejoice, Jesus, in your miraculous promises. Spirit of God fill my heart with love for my God, who has done this great work in me. Amen.