John 14:1-3 (NKJV)
“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
Are you afraid to die? Are you afraid to live? What do you think will happen when you leave this life? What will you leave behind? Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:8; “Absent from the body; present with the Lord.” Is that how you feel? If not, why not?
Jesus tells us to not be troubled. He wants us to believe in Him. He also tells us that He is going ahead of us to prepare a place for us so that we can be with Him. He further tells us He will return for us to take us unto Himself. It sounds pretty certain and wonderful to me! I know that I will be with Him when I pass from this world. You can be sure also.
What about you? Where will you go at the end of this life? Have you believed in Jesus and are you going to be with Him when you pass from this world? Many people have doubts. They look at their lives and think they do not deserve heaven. No one does and that is why it is a gift. After all, look at all the mistakes we have made along the way. We all have those things we have done that we regret and God knew we would do them even before we were born. So He made a way for us to be redeemed and justified back to Him even though we went astray. You see, He loves us that much that He wants us to be with Him where He is. Maybe you cannot understand how He could accomplish that because of our limited finite minds. God is infinite and can do things we cannot grasp. He has done this for you and me.
This is a special time of year. Christmas was the day in which God stepped into time and entered our world physically. John 3:16 says 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. God took on human form in the person of Jesus the Christ in order to present Himself as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, that you and I would be covered by the blood of that sacrifice. Every bad thing you have done past, present or future is covered by the perfect Blood of the Lamb. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world and He is coming! He is coming to take away your sin. He has overcome death all for you. No matter what happens, you are in His care. You are holy, righteous and redeemed! The burden has been lifted. Now go out and live in assurance that Jesus has established a place for you. And don’t worry!
Well what if I am at the end of my earthly journey and I have not lived in assurance? Now is the time to look at the offer again. God is the same yesterday, today and forever. His offer still stands. He told the thief on the cross “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” What about you? Will you listen to Christ’s offer? It is still on the table. Reach out your hand to Him. He loves you and wants you to be with Him. When that day comes, remember the carpenter from Nazareth who has gone ahead and built a place for you in His Father’s house. You know the way. He will be there to greet and guide you. You are His beloved child. Enter His house with joy and thanksgiving for it was built for you! He is coming! In Jesus the Christ’s name I pray for you today! Amen!