Reading your Bible for today December 28

December 28: John 16:16-22

KJV Key Verse: John 16:16
16 A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father.

Devotion:
Now that most of us have opened all the Christmas presents we have got from everyone, we are (hopefully) happy with what we have got. We looked forward to the point when we would be able to have those presents, but probably had no idea what was going to be in some of the boxes. But now the moment of opening has passed, we know what we have.

What we have at Christmas time and what the disciples were about to experience were two totally different things! What Christ was trying to explain to the disciples was a difficult concept to accept. He was going to die! Yet they were being told they would have something great to look forward to! But, what they were about to be shown physically was the greatest present that anyone could know of.

Have you ever had to share a present with anyone and they were the one that had to physically open the present? What was it like having to let them open the gift? Was the gift worth waiting for? Christ knew exactly what the disciples were thinking, He knew exactly what they were going to think, He knew exactly what sorrow and grief they were about to experience. But, He also knew what He was about to do would give joy to so many more people to come.

When we face sorrow in our lives, we very often get caught up in the now and do not look into the future. We look back with fondness on the then, but somehow are not able to see past the grief we bear now. But as soon as we are able to see past the grief point, much of the grief and pain melt away and we often see the reason behind that sorrow. Jesus has given us so much more than we can ever imagine. He has destroyed the debt we would otherwise have had to pay. He has given eternal life to absolutely anyone who is willing to put their faith and trust in Him. His forgiveness is absolute! His gift is perfect. His gift is on display, all we have to do is take it up.

Points to Ponder:
How long will your best gift last?

What would it be like to have that gift forever?