
03 Sep “For All” – Day Five
Scripture: John 14:15-17a NLT – “If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.”
Observation: Throughout the Bible, God has shown himself as a gentleman. He does not force himself on people who do not want a relationship with him. But, through all of that, he still loves every single one of us. He is for us even if we do not always remember or know that. The thing that stands out most to me in our verse is the word “Advocate”. If you’re not sure what that means, the Bible simply breaks the meaning down as one who comforts or encourages. God comforts and encourages us, which reminds us that we are never alone.
Application: Has anyone ever left you and you didn’t know how to act due to shock, surprise, or sadness? I know I have felt that way so many times, and I wonder if it is my fault. But throughout all of those emotions of shock, surprise, and sadness, we can find peace in the one true God who loves everyone and will never leave us. I remember about two years ago, I lost four of my closest friends all for different reasons. One of them moved away across the country, another moved and we lost connection because of her new job, and the other two suddenly stopped talking to me and I never knew why. However, that was what ultimately brought me to the place I am now where I am closer to God than I ever have been. Over the past few months, the biggest change in my life that I have made is having a slot and spot every day. It is a time and place where we can spend intentional time with God. Having that slot and spot everyday made me realize that while it’s great to have human connections with people, the most important relationship that anyone could ever have is with Christ Jesus. He is meant to be our best friend. We can go to him and tell him everything. The biggest thing that I had to realize and remind myself of everyday is that the Holy Spirit will never, ever leave us. Jesus said in the Bible that he will never leave us and we have to trust that. If Jesus said it, it is done. Doing a slot and spot is a great way that we can grow closer to God.
Prayer: Dear God, I thank you for who you are. I thank you for this life that you have given us and how you love us and will never leave us. Please help us to remember that you are always with us wherever we go and that you love us. I love you God. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Olivia Fraser
Journey Kids Team Leader
Olivia serves on the Journey Kids team as the Toddler Room Team Leader. She started serving in Kids over three years ago and has developed her passion for kids during this year’s Student Internship. She never thought that church could be this enjoyable and would end up being her favorite place to go. Finding The Journey was an eye-opening powerful experience for her.
Going Deeper:
- Have you ever felt alone? Ask God during your slot & spot for a reminder that his Spirit is always with you.
- Are you practicing a consistent slot and spot? Commit to this each day and watch your faith grow!
- Check out this message from our Lead Pastor, Mark Johnston, “Who Is The Holy Spirit?”
Jessica Ruggieri
Posted at 05:34h, 03 SeptemberThinking about being “left” today was a good reminder of the pain that it brings up and that the Holy Spirit will NEVER leave me. Amen!!
Katie Valetutti
Posted at 06:14h, 03 SeptemberOlivia, thank you for this beautiful reminder that even though people may leave us or fail us (and we may not always know or understand why), Jesus never will! And thank you for serving our youngest Journeyers and their families!
Kimberly Leigh
Posted at 07:47h, 03 SeptemberOlivia, thank you for this. It was a very important reminder to me that we don’t need to put our faith and expectations in people and relationships. Those things are wonderful gifts that God gives us, but they are not meant to be the foundation of our lives. He is! As you said, Jesus is our best friend, and He always will be, so we will never be alone.
Thank you for this inspiring devotional today.
Annette Crevasse
Posted at 09:12h, 03 SeptemberAlways a good reminder that God is with us, even as people leave our lives for reasons we never get an answer to. God’a love is enough.
Alfred Robert Ceaser
Posted at 09:25h, 03 SeptemberLove this Olivia!
Eva McIntosh
Posted at 10:48h, 03 SeptemberGreat points and application Olivia! Thanks for sharing!
Chuck Rash
Posted at 11:16h, 03 SeptemberI feel ya Olivia. I have felt most of my life that I was always the planner and when others made plans I got left out. I feel this is one of the things that lead to my addiction. I still feel this way today at times. But I have come to the realization that God blesses us with certain gifts and responsibilities. I believe he saved me from my addiction to do his work and be the one who reaches out. Doing his work is not always easy or easy to understand. He has a plan for me and that plan may not be of this earth. I’m ok with that today, on most days. Progress not perfection. ✝️
Cynthia Carroll
Posted at 08:02h, 07 SeptemberAmen