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The Helper Could Not Come

by Jerry Ousley  
5/13/2016 / Christian Living

It was one of the hardest things I had ever done. Had I known then what I know now I probably would not have gone. I'm speaking of leaving my family to go to basic training in the US Army. It was the early eighties and times were hard (not quite like they are now but hard enough). I was trying to make a living selling insurance but because money was tight very few were buying and it seemed no one was buying from me. We were going broke very fast.

A pastor friend that I had was in the Army Reserves and he had tried several times to talk me into joining up. It sounded good; one weekend a month and two weeks a year. But it was only part-time pay. I needed full-time pay. When I went to talk to a recruiter he was willing to sign me up for the Reserves but he pressed hard for me to go into active duty. I could go in as a Chaplain's Assistant (and he made it sound like full-time ministry which really made my ears perk up). I'd do three years and get paid a lot more than I was making now (of course anything looks better than nothing). He talked me into it. I signed on the dotted line and the way he described it I was locked in.

The day came for me to leave for training and had it not been for the fact that I thought I couldn't get out of it I would have refused to get into the car. How could I leave my family for six weeks? What was I thinking? As it turned out I was not locked in until I had taken the oath, but I didn't know that.

If I had known that I'm certain that I would have backed out. But if I hadn't have gone I wouldn't have all these stories to tell. If I hadn't gone I wouldn't feel such a patriotic love for country that I now have. Had I not went I wouldn't have received the stabilization in life that I so desperately needed.

All of us could tell of things that helped shape our lives that would have had a completely different outcome had we not gone, or had that experience. God uses a lot of things to teach us.

In John 16:7-11 Jesus was talking with His disciples and said, "Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, he will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged." In those few short verses Jesus told us of some things that would not have happened had He not ascended back to the Father If He didn't go.

The first was that the Helper (or Comforter in the King James Version) could not have come. Jesus, in a physical body could only be in one place at a time. Sure, after His crucifixion and resurrection He had a glorified body and could go and come very quickly but still only one place at a time. With all the millions of followers that have been born into the Kingdom He could have only ministered to a few at a time at best.

After He ascended to Heaven He did send the Helper. Now by way of the Holy Spirit our Lord can be with all of us simultaneously. He can be everywhere all the time. He can minister to a dying saint in Germany while dealing with the heart of a sinner in New York City. On Sunday morning (or whenever you meet to worship) He can be with each and every congregation at the same time.

Even better, He can live in the lives of all those who believe in Him at the same time. He's not only with a group but He's with each and every one who comes to Him all the time. That's a wonderful benefit that we wouldn't have received if He didn't go.

Jerry D. Ousley is the author of ?Soul Challenge?, ?Soul Journey?, ?Ordeal?, ?The Spirit Bread Daily Devotional and his first novel ?The Shoe Tree.? Visit our website at spiritbread.com to download these and more completely free of charge.

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