Thoughts on the Gospel of John (139) - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2024

Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world? Jesus answered and said to him, If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.
John 14:22–24

Thoughts on the Gospel of John (139)
The change that was about to take place for the disciples was difficult for them to understand: Christ in heaven and the Holy Spirit here on earth – this did not correspond to the expectation they had as Jews. Instead, they expected their Messiah to establish His kingdom visibly on earth.

The glorified Christ is now invisible to the world. Only believers can “see” and experience Him through the power of the Holy Spirit. The prerequisite for this is that we do not develop stubborn ideas and go our own way, but that we keep the word of Jesus in our hearts and act accordingly. In this attitude we no longer only ask what we are allowed or not allowed to do. It is like an obedient child: from the words of its mother, it hears exactly what she expects, without her having expressly asked the child to do this or that.

Whoever thus submits to the Lord (and thus shows that he loves Him) will experience the love of the heavenly Father in a special way. What a great promise! The persons of the Godhead – Father and Son – will make their home with an obedient Christian! They will feel at home, so to speak, in his heart.

How precious it is for God when people love His Son while He is rejected by the world!

Today’s reading: 1 Samuel 15:17-35 · Psalms 102:1-11