Words of Comfort and Encouragement from the Gospel of John...

Remembering again why I love the book of John so much. Listen to Jesus' heart as He speaks in these verses. It is important to note that these words are said right after the last supper...right before His crucifixion. He so clearly wants to keep trouble from invading the hearts of His disciples and wants them (us too) to rest easy knowing that their everlasting rest is with Him and that in the meanwhile, He will be sending them His Spirit to indwell them, lead them, and comfort them. So easy to hear in His words a Father's love and concern for his children when for most of us (okay all of us), our concern before being crucified would be for ourselves. We would be looking to others for comfort. Jesus, however, stays the course, remembers His purpose...puts us...the joy that was set before Him...first... and gives us these tremendous words of comfort and encouragement. The ones below are just a smattering of the comfort that can be found in the book of John. Jesus not only brings comfort and consolation...When we take HIm in to ourselves and partake of His Spirit, He becomes for us EVERYTHING we need.

And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.

At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.----John 14:16-21

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.

And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe.

Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.

But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence.--John 14:26-31

These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.--John 15:11

And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.

And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.

Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.--John 16:22-24

REJOICE ALWAYS, PRAY WITHOUT CEASING, IN EVERYTHING GIVE THANKS...

Woke up with the short succinct COMMANDS of 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 on my heart:

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.--1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

And since it was morning I wondered why the Holy Spirit chose to place "Rejoice always" first....for me it is usually prayer as soon as my mind realizes I am awake...my favorite is,  "Lord, have mercy on me today for I am weak" and then I thank Him that I can start my day with my coffee and His word. (shallow...I know)  Once I have my coffee the rejoicing part comes easier.  BUT as I meditated this morning on these three short verses before getting out of bed. I realized that of course, rejoice always or rejoice evermore is first because my joy in Him is the background music of my life. Before I pray...in order to pray, I must "REMEMBER" my God.  For me to even go to prayer or thanksgiving when I awake, I must remember Him and rejoice because He is my hope and my source of joy as a believer...THIS world is not my home.  My God is the same yesterday, today and forever...He is ALWAYS with me and nothing can separate me from His love...so yeah...rejoice always....even at 6 am before coffee.

Emptied Himself...

Philippians 2:7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.

But - nevertheless, notwithstanding

made himself- (kenoo) emptied himself.

of no reputation - (kenoo)  emptied himself

and took upon - laid hold of, to take upon one's self, to take in order to carry away.

the form - external appearance

of a servant - (doulos) a slave, bondman, in the Hebrew sense one who gives himself up to another's will.  Those whose service is used by Christ in extending and advancing his cause among men.

and was made - to become, to come into existence, begin to be

in the likeness - made after the likeness of something, image, resemblance...Christ became fully God and fully man. He took on all the essential attributes of humanity and could identify with human needs and weaknesses.  Whatever He did here...He did not do them in His deity but in His humanity totally dependent on the Spirit of God.

of men - a human being, whether male or female.

Christ "emptied" Himself of His own will and His own ambitions and voluntarily gave Himself up to His Father's will. He submitted Himself to the Spirit's direction.  Philippians 2:8 reads: And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. As believers and bondservants of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ we are to empty ourselves of our own will and live unto God.

I want to live like that...emptying me of me and living for what matters.

For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.  We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;  persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.  So then death is working in us, but life in you.--2nd Corinthians 4:6-12

Lowliness of Mind...

Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves--Philippians 2:3

Let nothing - No thing, nobody

be done - down from according to

strife - electioneering or intriguing for office; in the NT courting distinction - a desire to put one's self forward. A partisan and fractious spirit which does not disdain low arts. To stir up, excite, to provoke

or vainglory - groundless self-esteem, empty or vain pride; glorying without reason, conceited

but in lowliness of mind - having a humble opinion of one's self; a deep sense of one's moral littleness, modesty

let - (see esteem below) to go before another... to consider, deem, account, reckon another as superior in rank.

each - reciprocally, one to another, mutually,

esteem - (associated with let above) to go before another... to consider, deem, account, reckon another as superior in rank.

other - one another, reciprocal pronoun

better than - above, to excel, to be superior

themselves - himself, herself, itself, themselves

Aside on humility or lowliness of mind - "This word in pre-Christian writings tapeinos is, with few exceptions in Plato and Platonic writers, used in a bad or inferior sense as denoting something evil or unworthy. The prominence it gained in Christian thought indicates a new conception of man in relation to God, to himself and to his fellows, which is due to Christianity. It by no means implies slavishness or servility; nor is it inconsistent with a right estimate of oneself, one's gifts and calling of God, or with proper self-assertion when called for. But the habitual frame of mind of a child of God is that of one who feels not only that he owes all his natural gifts, etc., to God, but that he has been the object of undeserved redeeming love, and who regards himself as being not his own, but God's in Christ. He cannot exalt himself, for he knows that he has nothing of himself. The humble mind is thus at the root of all other graces and virtues. Self-exaltation spoils everything. There can be no real love without humility."--from International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia


Christ is our supreme example of humility.

1 Corinthians 13:4 says that "Love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up."