Read John 15:26-16:4

"When the Advocate 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. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.

"All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you,…"

Reflect

What's the main reason Jesus gives for telling his disciples all that he's told them? How do you think all this information would help them when life got really, really hard?

Respond

Jesus is ending a long explanation about how his followers would often be persecuted, even hated. He tells his disciples many things so that they "will not fall away" when things get tough. If you're in a rough patch today, remember that Jesus predicted this for all his followers. Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus is right here with you.