April 4 -- John 14:15-31
“Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.” –John 14:23 (NIV)

Jesus said that if His disciples love Him, they will obey Him and will have the Holy Spirit’s help. The world cannot accept the Spirit; He only comes to be with and live in Jesus’ followers. Because the Spirit lives in us, Jesus never “leaves us as orphans” (v. 18). He lives in us, and we live in Him. In verse 10, Jesus says that He lives in the Father and the Father lives in Him. Then, He adds that we are in Him as well. God has extended the community of the Trinity to include His children, who can now, because of Jesus, be indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
Thaddeus (also called Judas) asked Jesus why He would not show Himself to the world (v. 22). Even after Jesus predicted His death, the disciples still expected Him to be a political Messiah in some way—to ascend the throne of King David and rule Israel, and He would have had to show Himself to the world in order to do so. But Jesus had other plans. He responded that He and the Father would only “make a home” with those who obeyed and followed Him. He added that the Holy Spirit would come to teach them and remind them of everything they needed to know (vv. 23-26).
Before they left the upper room, Jesus promised them a peace unlike any in this world (v. 27). He told them again (as He did at the beginning of chapter 14) not to let their hearts be troubled. He added that they should be happy for Him since He was going to the Father and that He was telling them all these things so they would believe when everything came to pass. Even though it would seem for a short time as though evil was winning, it wasn’t. Jesus planned to lay down His life in obedience.
Consider: How does God “make a home” with me? How have I sensed the Holy Spirit leading, guiding, and teaching me in the past?
Spend some time talking with the Holy Spirit. We often address the Father or Jesus in prayer but rarely the Spirit, yet He is a Person of the Trinity, too. Ask Him to show you what you most need to learn right now and ask for eyes to see and ears to hear. Thank Him for His constant Presence in your life.
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