But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. John 14:26 NIV
Do you remember the Franklin Planner? It was a ring-bound paper organizer you carried around in the days before personal digital assistants (PDAs). There was a section for contacts, but each day had two pages. The left page had sections for daily tasks, a tracker list, and a calendar to record meetings. On the right page was a place to take notes from the meetings. Today, we use our phones and tablets with calendar and task list apps to do the same thing. But the purpose of any planner, paper or electronic, is to serve as a reminder. What do I need to do today?
Jesus knew that we needed reminders. Before Christ ascended, he made the promise in our verse today. He knew that over time, the disciples might fail to remember everything they’d heard, not because they wanted to, but because…well, they were human, and we forget. But the Advocate would be a constant reminder, a stirring in their souls–that spiritual string on the finger. “Oh yeah, remember Jesus said this is what we are to do.”
While we have not had the benefit of hearing the teaching of Jesus from his lips, we have scripture, the living Word of God, that speaks to us. The Holy Spirit guides us through our understanding of the sacred text and serves as a reminder of how Christ desires us to live.
Father God, thank you for sending Jesus Christ to redeem us and the Holy Spirit to guide us. Help us to listen for what you’d have us do today, and give us hearts to obey. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Blessings,
Pastor Tim
