Amy Boucher Pye

Category: John 15-16 devotionals

  • Devotional of the week – The Indwelling Christ (7 in John 15-16 series)

    I did not tell you this at first because I was with you. John 16:4

    PyelotBoy, about the time he went to school for the first time...
    PyelotBoy, about the time he went to school for the first time…

    The first day I left PyelotBoy at nursery (UK; US: pre-school), I wondered how he would fare and if he would be lonely or afraid. My husband and I had tried to prepare him for the good things to come, such as new friends, engaging play, and increased independence. But I hadn’t prepared myself for the wrenching separation I felt as I realised that this was merely the start of a long journey of releasing my son. A few years on, we’re both back from a week away, and I try not to ply him with too many questions, so eager I am to hear all about his school trip.

    I wonder if Jesus felt any of this sadness as he prepared his disciples to be apart from him. He knows of the trials that are ahead – not only for him but for them – so he warns them of things to come. Indeed, shortly after this conversation Jesus is arrested and brought before the high priest. He will no longer be with them physically, but he will give them an amazing life-changing gift – his very presence living in them through the indwelling of his Holy Spirit.

    We never need to be far from Jesus, for he lives within us. his presence changes us, helping us to forgive the gossiping friend, to love the colleague we find difficult, to trust when we are feeling helpless and alone, to release our children into his care. In the words of the sixteenth-century monk, Brother Lawrence, we need only to pause and “practice the presence of God.” He is with us.

    Prayer: Lord Jesus, I thank you that through you I live and move and have my being. Transform me, I pray.

  • Devotional of the week – Our Commission (6 in John 15-16 series)

    And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning. John 15:27

    Photo: by Chris Yarzab, flickr
    Photo: by Chris Yarzab, flickr

    When I was an editor at HarperCollins I commissioned the memoirs of Canon Michael Green. Sharing the good news of the gospel seems to pour out of him naturally, with his winsome words accompanied by a bright smile. I, however, am not a natural evangelist like Michael. In fact, the thought of city-center evangelism sends chills down my spine.

    But Jesus tells his disciples here that they must testify. In the Greek, the “you” is emphatic, underscoring that we are not off the hook. Sharing our faith with friends, family or strangers may be out of our comfort zone, but God has entrusted his message to us. We may stammer or feel incompetent, but the Holy Spirit will strengthen us and give us just the right words to speak.

    We aren’t limited to the ways we can testify about Jesus. We might encourage a friend who finds it hard to trust God with examples of his faithfulness in our own life. We might extend a listening ear to an older neighbor who is lonely. Or indeed we might tell a friend about how Jesus died on the cross to take away our sins, that she might live in freedom. God’s ways of reaching out to his needy world are endless, and we have the privilege of being the conduits.

    Prayer: Lord Jesus, I’m amazed that you use me to share your love and grace. Work through me, I pray.

     

  • Devotional of the week – A Privileged Relationship (5 in John 15-16 series)

    When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. John 15:26

    Photo: Creative Commons, James Burke
    Photo: Creative Commons, James Burke

    Inspired by dramatized courtroom dramas, I decided when at university that I wanted to be a lawyer. (I’m embarrassed to admit that one of them was the film Jagged Edge.) I got a job during the summers in a law office, and soon learned that the work was not all verbal sparring and dramatic closing statements. Nor, I realized, would I want one of the attorneys to represent me had I ever the need.

    Here the Holy Spirit is called a Counselor, which we can translate as “Advocate,” or in our modern-day parlance, Attorney or Barrister. For as Gary M. Burge says in The NIV Application Commentary, “It is a judicial title describing someone aiding a legal argument” (p. 421). The Holy Spirit will live and dwell in the disciples; through them he will bear witness as an advocate of Jesus.

    It’s mind-boggling to think that we have the world’s best attorney on our case. And to know that although we may be living through a terrible trial, where there seems no righting of wrongs, we can be confident that God as Judge will eventually bring complete justice. As the Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans: “Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord” (Romans 12:19). All of that – and no astronomical legal fees.

    Prayer: Triune God, you are Judge and yet Counselor. Bring forth your truth in and through me this day.

     

  • Devotional of the week – Redemptive suffering (4 in John 15-16 series)

    “They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me.” John 15:21

    Painting displayed in the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio
    Painting displayed in the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio

    In the West we currently enjoy religious freedom, and take for granted the ability to meet with other believers to pray and worship together. This freedom is not enjoyed by many brothers and sisters around the world, such as in China or in the United Arab Emirates. For instance, Christians in North Korea are tortured for their faith. Chinese believers from the house churches were barred from traveling to Lausanne III in 2010, the largest Christian gathering in history. Or in the UAE, Christian expatriates are allowed to worship in their own churches, but legally may not share their faith with locals.

    This section of John’s gospel must provide precious sustenance to these believers. They are misunderstood, misaligned, maltreated, and perhaps even tortured or killed because of the name of Jesus. But they can cling to the promise that God’s Holy Spirit is with them, purifying them and speaking through them.

    What can we learn from the suffering church? Many things, no doubt, but one that stands out is the strength of their commitment. Can we too live as though our whole lives depend on our belief and trust in God? Do we focus on the essentials of our faith and let the minor concerns drop? Do we believe in the power of God to bring real change and renewal?

    May the example of the persecuted church inspire and convict us this day.

    Prayer: Lord Jesus, you were persecuted, and so are many around the world. Redeem their suffering for your glory.

  • Devotional of the week – The Royal Family (3 in John 15-16 series)

    Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ John 15:20

    A house fit for a queen. Osborne House on the Isle of Wight.
    A house fit for a queen. Osborne House on the Isle of Wight.

    My son has had a fascination with the British monarchy over the years, and I’ve learned much about kings and queens as we’ve visited royal palaces and read biographies. I simply cannot imagine one of these exalted persons lowering themselves to the level of a servant. And yet this is what Jesus – the King of Kings – did when during the Last Supper he washed the feet of his disciples. He, the Teacher and Lord, got dirty in the service of others. So too must we: “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master” (John 13:15-16).

    Now as Jesus talks about persecution, he hearkens back to his words about the servant/master relationship. We must serve one other, and because servants aren’t greater than their masters, we must expect to be treated with spite or taunting, as he did. We will not be exempt from suffering, for his Father did not spare him. But as we will see in an upcoming reading, God will send his Spirit to us – the Advocate and Counselor – who will fill us with his presence and speak on our behalf.

    We may not be a member of the British royal family, but we are daughters and sons of the King. Though we may suffer, our adoption into his family is secure.

    Prayer: Our Lord God and King, reign in our hearts today, that we might love and serve you.

  • Devotional of the week – Heavenly citizens (2 in John 15-16 series)

    As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. John 15:19

    Photo: Ian Mackenzie, Flickr
    Photo: Ian Mackenzie, Flickr

    I have two passports – one from America, the land of my birth, and one from Britain, my adopted country. I will always have divided loyalties, whether in which sports team to support or which lingo to speak. But my most important citizenship is my heavenly one, to which Jesus refers here. For he has chosen us out of the world, and we do not belong to it.

    What does it mean to be a citizen of heaven? To be “in the world but not of it”? Christians throughout the ages have interpreted this question differently. Some remove themselves completely from the world. Others so accommodate it that they lose their Christian distinctiveness. Many struggle somewhere between the two poles, seeking to keep in tension engaging the world on the one hand while being a transforming force in it on the other.

    As we keep our sights fixed on God’s promises of his heavenly city, we will see our struggles and travails with his eternal perspective. He can pull us back when we are too engaged with worldly things, such as watching a dodgy television program. He can shed wisdom on the challenges we face, reminding us that he will never leave nor forsake us. He will strengthen and undergird us, helping us to be his witnesses in a world hungry for grace.

    Heavenly Father, as aliens and strangers on earth we long for a heavenly country. Help us to live by faith.

  • Devotional of the week: Strength in Persecution (1 in John 15-16 series)

    If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. John 15:18

    Photo: "Londres: The ten Christian Martyrs in Westminster Abbey" by Zyllan Fotografía on Flickr
    Photo: “Londres: The ten Christian Martyrs in Westminster Abbey,” Zyllan Fotografía, Flickr

    If we come to Christ as a new convert, we often enjoy a lovely honeymoon period. So to hear these words of Jesus can be a shock and a surprise – is this what we signed up for?

    Some background is helpful as we delve into our passage for the next weeks, which is John 15:18-16:4. Jesus and his friends have finished their last meal together, and Judas has left, intent on betrayal. Jesus and the now-eleven disciples make their way to the Mount of Olives, where Jesus will later be arrested. In what is called the Final Discourse, Jesus teaches the disciples and prays with them.

    After telling his followers how to abide and live in him, Jesus says how they will suffer persecution because the world persecuted him first. We should not be surprised by this mistreatment, for the light of Jesus in us will make visible the evil in the world. Living for Christ might entail something seemingly trivial, such as opposing gambling at our local school. Or something more serious, such as not allowing a co-worker to fudge the truth. Or perhaps we may even be called to stand in solidarity with sisters and brothers around the world who are being tortured for their beliefs.

    Whatever level of persecution we face, we know that Jesus through his Holy Spirit will give us strength. We can count on him.

    Prayer: Lord Jesus, you suffered a horrific death so that I might live in freedom. Help me to live freely today, this week, this month, this year.