the daily devo

“I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.” (John 14:12-13)

After pointing out three major clues that should have tipped off the disciples to the fact that Jesus is God (his character, his words, and his miracles), Jesus promised them even more evidence of his authentic power was coming—and they would see it in themselves.

They didn’t understand it, yet, but the disciples would soon start to perform jaw-dropping miracles with the power God would supply. All they’d have to do, Jesus promised, is ask him. Then he would do it.

Have you seen evidence of God’s power through Jesus come out of your own life? A change in you that seemed impossible? A spiritual gift in action that God used in the life of someone else? A peace in your heart that defied your lousy circumstances? God’s power is especially convincing when it rolls out of your own, broken self.

Think: What evidence have you seen in your own life that Jesus is the Son of God, that faith in him makes a difference?

Pray: Ask God to help you to notice when he provides evidence of his power through Jesus in your life. And ask him to help you to remember to say, “Thank you,” and, “You’re great, God.”

Do: Ask someone who has trusted Jesus for a long time what evidence they’ve seen that confirms to them that Jesus really is the powerful Son of God.

“If you love me, you will obey what I command.” (John 14:15)

“Love ya!” “Oh, I love these things.” “I just love that show.” “That guy is great; I love him.” “I love you in those shoes.”

We love to throw the word “love” around like it’s “like,” don’t we? And that’s fine as long as we all know what we mean. But the casual use of “love” has put a dent in our understanding of the word.

For his disciples, Jesus set the highest meaning of the word: “Love” = “obey me.” Ouch. I do not love that definition. I want to be able to shout “Yes, I LOVE Jesus!” and get some points for all that emotion without being fact-checked by my obedience.

Living love is so much harder than saying love.

Think: Do you think obedience to Jesus is a fair standard for whether we love him or not? How would you rate the distance between any feelings of love you have for God and your obedience of him?

Pray: Ask God to give you the courage and will to show your love for him by doing what he tells you to do.

Do: Listen this week for all the different ways people use the word “love.”

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” (John 14:16-17)

From the disciple’s perspective, it must have seemed like Jesus was always saying hard things, impossible-to-comprehend things, things that would not make real sense until several chapters later.

But this time, Jesus was telling them an impossible thing that would eventually make everything clear: The Spirit of truth in them. The Holy Spirit. He’s a person. He’s God. He is given to every person who trusts in Jesus. He’s a counselor who helps make clear to us what the world cannot possibly understand.

In this long goodbye speech, Jesus was promising the disciples would not be alone after he left. God would be with them—and not just in a general, fuzzy, “God is everywhere” kind of way. God the Spirit would be in them. He is in us. What does that mean for you?

Think: Be honest with yourself: Is it creepy at all to think of the Holy Spirit living in you as a Christian? Do you take the reality of the Spirit seriously? How often do you think about it?

Pray: As a believer in Jesus Christ, thank God for the gift of his Holy Spirit in your life. Ask him to help you to live as if his Spirit is real and active in your daily existence.

Do: Read about one way the Spirit in us changes us in Romans 8:9-11.