Words from the Rock
Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, “Where are you going?” Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.
John 16:5–7 NIV
Some people don’t like change. They resist anything different and want everything to remain the same—status quo, leave it be, don’t rock the boat. . . . But change is inevitable. Like it or not, change happens. For the most part, it’s a good thing, even if you can’t understand it at the time.
However, as the end of Jesus’s earthly life drew closer, his disciples were not eager for change. They did not want to lose Jesus—they felt they needed him and that he still had work to do with them and others. And they most certainly did not want to see him die. What possible good could come of that? No, Jesus’s followers longed for him to remain with them on earth indefinitely. They loved him and knew that life had never been as wonderful or exciting or fulfilling as it was with Jesus around. If his disciples had called the shots, Jesus never would have left them. Fortunately for everyone, God had other plans.
If Jesus had remained with his disciples and all had stayed the same, God’s plan for forgiveness and redemption would have been thwarted. Jesus had to die on the cross and come back to life in order to change things. That was God’s intention all along, and Jesus knew it. He also knew that he couldn’t send his Spirit back to help his believers unless he first left. They were going to need his Spirit so they could be changed and mature.
Jesus wants the same for you. He wants his Spirit to change you—to help you grow and become more like him. Change really is good!
My Prayer
Dear God,
Thank you for your perfect plan. Thank you for sending your Spirit to change me. Please help me to be more like you.
Amen.
Final Word
Come on, let’s leave the preschool fingerpainting exercises on Christ and get on with the grand work of art. Grow up in Christ.
Hebrews 6:1 Message
Stone for the Journey
God’s changes in me are good.