<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>John 16;4b-7<div><br></div><div><b>4b. &nbsp;“I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you.</b></div><div><b>5. &nbsp;But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’</b></div><div><b>6. But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts.</b></div><div><b>7. &nbsp;Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away,&nbsp;the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>Q. &nbsp;How can we be closer to someone we love, by being further away from them?</div><div>A. &nbsp;When their physical presence is replaced by&nbsp;their personal&nbsp;spiritual dwelling with and in us.</div><div><br></div><div>Jesus does not leave his disciples (including&nbsp;us) desolate. He leaves them with a parting gift which is better and more personal than his own physical presence. &nbsp;He gives his disciples&nbsp;the gift of the Holy Spirit to be with us forever. &nbsp;(see John 14;16&amp;17 and Acts 2;37-39)</div><div><br></div><div><i>“It is the Spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail; the words that I have&nbsp;spoken&nbsp;to you are Spirit and life.” &nbsp;&nbsp;</i><span>(John 6;63)</span></div><div><br></div><div>Our own personal closeness with our Lord Jesus depends upon our abiding in his Word. &nbsp;A personal daily discipline of reading,&nbsp;meditating, memorizing, believing,&nbsp;trusting, and surrendering&nbsp;to&nbsp;his will, (which is&nbsp;revealed in his&nbsp;Word), brings us into the most wonderful, intimate, personal conversation with God by the Spirit.&nbsp;This is fullness of life, no matter where we are or what we face.</div><div><br></div><div>How do we know when we are truly close, intimate with our Lord? &nbsp;<i>“…When we cry, ‘Abba! Father! &nbsp;it is the Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him.” &nbsp;</i>(Romans 8;15b-17)</div><div><br></div><div>Our earthly life is but a blink of time in the perspective of eternity. &nbsp;Learning now&nbsp;to love and trust our Lord and his will,&nbsp;more than we love and trust our own desires, is true spiritual growth, peace, joy, and transformation. &nbsp;Letting go is gaining! &nbsp;Dying to self is finding true life. &nbsp;</div><div><i>“Then Jesus told his disciples, “ If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. &nbsp;For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. &nbsp;For what does it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? &nbsp;Or what shall a man give in return for his life?” &nbsp;</i>(Matthew 16;24-26)</div><div><br></div><div>Our Lord loves us. &nbsp;His desire is to be with and in us forever, perfectly one. &nbsp;He accomplishes this by the Holy Spirit working through the truth of the inspired&nbsp;Word. <i>“For the Word is living and active, sharper than any two edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. &nbsp;And before him no creature is hidden, but all are open and&nbsp;laid bare to the eyes of him with whom we have to do.” &nbsp;</i>(Hebrews 4;12&amp;13)</div><div><br></div><div>Prayer: &nbsp;Have mercy on us dear Father and deliver us from our carnal perspective. &nbsp;Unite our spirit with the Holy Spirit to pray, ‘<i>Thy will be done’. &nbsp;</i>Teach us that our bodies are instruments to be used to your glory. &nbsp;Teach us to walk by the Spirit,&nbsp;and in so living,&nbsp;bless us to&nbsp;find all that&nbsp;our hearts are longing for, both with and in Christ Jesus. &nbsp;In him we pray, Amen.</div><div><br></div><div>Love,</div><div>Dad/Baba/Eric</div><div>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</div><div>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.”</div><div><br><a href="https://overview.mail.yahoo.com/?.src=iOS" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></body></html>


John 16;4b-7
4b.  “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you.5.  But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’6. But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts.7.  Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.
Q.  How can we be closer to someone we love, by being further away from them?A.  When their physical presence is replaced by their personal spiritual dwelling with and in us.
Jesus does not leave his disciples (including us) desolate. He leaves them with a parting gift which is better and more personal than his own physical presence.  He gives his disciples the gift of the Holy Spirit to be with us forever.  (see John 14;16&17 and Acts 2;37-39)
“It is the Spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail; the words that I have spoken to you are Spirit and life.”   (John 6;63)
Our own personal closeness with our Lord Jesus depends upon our abiding in his Word.  A personal daily discipline of reading, meditating, memorizing, believing, trusting, and surrendering to his will, (which is revealed in his Word), brings us into the most wonderful, intimate, personal conversation with God by the Spirit. This is fullness of life, no matter where we are or what we face.
How do we know when we are truly close, intimate with our Lord?  “…When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!  it is the Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him.”  (Romans 8;15b-17)
Our earthly life is but a blink of time in the perspective of eternity.  Learning now to love and trust our Lord and his will, more than we love and trust our own desires, is true spiritual growth, peace, joy, and transformation.  Letting go is gaining!  Dying to self is finding true life.  “Then Jesus told his disciples, “ If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.  For what does it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life?  Or what shall a man give in return for his life?”  (Matthew 16;24-26)
Our Lord loves us.  His desire is to be with and in us forever, perfectly one.  He accomplishes this by the Holy Spirit working through the truth of the inspired Word. “For the Word is living and active, sharper than any two edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.  And before him no creature is hidden, but all are open and laid bare to the eyes of him with whom we have to do.”  (Hebrews 4;12&13)
Prayer:  Have mercy on us dear Father and deliver us from our carnal perspective.  Unite our spirit with the Holy Spirit to pray, ‘Thy will be done’.  Teach us that our bodies are instruments to be used to your glory.  Teach us to walk by the Spirit, and in so living, bless us to find all that our hearts are longing for, both with and in Christ Jesus.  In him we pray, Amen.
Love,Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.”
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