Together in Christ: 'Never Abandoned!' — John 14:18

Thursday, October 16, 2025

[Jesus promised his disciples,] "No, I will not abandon you as orphans — I will come to you."
— John 14:18 NLT

Key Thought

In Christ, we are never abandoned, forsaken, or left alone!

God repeatedly promised us, His beloved children, that He would never fail us or abandon us. [1] God will never let anything in the spiritual realm or the created world separate us from His love for us in Jesus, His Messiah. [2]

Dear brother or sister in Christ, we should not be surprised by these promises from the New Testament writers because Jesus had earlier promised: "I will not abandon you as orphans - I will come to you." Jesus comes to us through the Holy Spirit He poured out on us and into us when we were saved. [3] He assured us that even though the Holy Spirit is in us, we can ask the Father, and He will send the Spirit to us with an increasing measure of His presence. [4] The Holy Spirit will empower us to love others, [5] overcome the power of sin, [6] and do more than we could ever imagine doing - doing even greater things than Jesus did. [7] Even when we are drifting from Him, Jesus has promised to come to us and knock on the door of our hearts so we can invite Him in fully, to make His home with us. [8]

We can love others because God lives in us and longs to make His presence - as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - complete in us. Let's invite God in to take control as we offer ourselves to Him with all we are, have, dream, and do! [9]

[1] Hebrews 13:5-6.
[2] Romans 8:35-39.
[3] Acts 2:38-39; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Titus 3:3-5.
[4] Luke 11:13; Acts 4:23-31; 1 Thessalonians 4:8.
[5] Romans 5:5; Ephesians 4:25-32.
[6] Romans 8:1-11; Galatians 5:19-23.
[7] John 14:12.
[8] Revelation 3:20; John 14:23.
[9] Galatians 2:20; Romans 8:3-9; Romans 12:1-2.

Today's Prayer

Come into my heart, dear Father. Make Your home in me, Lord Jesus. Please fill and empower me, Holy Spirit. I offer You, God, my love with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength [A] and present myself to You as a living sacrifice [B] to live for Your glory. Amen.

[A] Matthew 22:36-40.
[B] Romans 12:1-2.

Related Scripture Readings

Have thoughts on this devotional? Leave a comment

17 Related Resources by Heartlight

I Will Not Abandon You!
Devo: What Jesus Did!
"[Jesus continued,] "No, I will not abandon you as orphans — I will come to you. Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I..."
The Spirit of Truth
Devo: God's Holy Fire
"[Jesus said,] "I will talk to the Father, and he'll provide you another Friend so that you will always have someone with you. This Friend is the Spirit of..."
God Made Known to Us
Virtual Worship by Demetrius Collins & Phil Ware
God promises to be with us and in us so that we can experience his love for us! Demetrius Collins and Phil Ware lead us in a virtual, DIY, worship through words and music using YouTube videos to remind us of God's presence to be in us and real to us and reveal his love in us.
The Paraclete
Article by Max Lucado
The Spirit is a person. And Jesus calls him the Paraclete. Max Lucado reminds us of the Holy Spirit living in us based on Jesus' promise and Jesus' special name for the Spirit, the Paraclete
See All 17 Related Resources about John 14:18

Illustration

Illustration of John 14:18 NLT — [Jesus promised his disciples,] "No, I will not abandon you as orphans — I will come to you."

Other Devotionals from Heartlight for Thursday, October 16, 2025

Today's Verse
A daily devotional featuring a Bible verse, thought and prayer.
Philippians 2:5, 7-8
"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who... made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And..."
What Jesus Did!
A daily guide from the gospels that challenges readers to live for Jesus.
'The Prophets Frame It All' (Mt. 26:55-56)
"Then Jesus said to the crowd [that came to arrest him], "Am I some dangerous revolutionary, that you come with swords and clubs to arrest me? Why..."
Daily Wisdom
A daily devotional featuring wise counsel found in Scripture.
Proverbs 10:6
"Blessings crown the head of the righteous, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked."
Passion for Praise
A daily passage of Scripture emphasizing praise to our God.
'Not to Us!' (Ps. 115:1)
"Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name goes all the glory for your unfailing love and faithfulness."

About This Devotional

Together in Christ is a daily devotional that focuses on what Scripture teaches about godly living in relationships.

'Together in Christ' is written by Phil Ware.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

More Together in Christ