5 "Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, `Where are you going?'

6 Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief.

7 But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.

8 When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt [1] in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment:

9 in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me;

10 in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer;

11 and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

12 "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear.

13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.

14 He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.

15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.

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For over three years the disciples traveled with Jesus, listening to his words and witnessing his miracles. As his death approached, Jesus told the disciples his departure would actually be good for them. Such words sound like the stuff of which fairy tales are made. How could the absence of Jesus be good for his followers?

The Lord had an answer to that question. As long as he was physically present, the Holy Spirit couldn't come to them. Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as "the Counselor" (v. 7). The term means "one called alongside to help." While Jesus was on earth he only taught a few people at one time. But the Spirit given to the disciples comes alongside every believer. That same spirit will personally guide us all into truth. Remember that the next time you read the Bible. Since the spirit is available to teach you, ask him to guide you into truth as you read God's Word.