You heard me say to you, ‘I am going way, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe.

There is a valuable teaching in the emphasized phrases, one which the Spirit brought to my attention as I was studying this passage. The significance is heralded by the "If" pointing out that there is a test coming. This passage tells me in no uncertain terms that the final test of my love for someone is the extent to which I rejoice when the Father calls them home. Does my, oft times selfish, sense of the departure of a loved one overshadow my joy that they are absent from the body and present with our Lord? Is this another way in which Christians must demonstrate that they are called to be counter-cultural?

Today's readings in the Psalms:

Morning: Psalm 84

Mid-day: 119:49-56

Evening: Psalm 10

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