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. —John 14:3
A couple who brought their elderly aunt to live with them were concerned that she would not feel at home. So they transformed a room in their house into an exact replica of her bedroom at the home she left behind. When their aunt arrived, her furniture, wall hangings, and other favorite things felt like a special “Welcome home!” to her. In John 13:36–14:4, we read that at the Last Supper Jesus spoke to His disciples and tried to prepare them for His death. When Simon Peter asked, “Where are you going?” Jesus replied, “Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward” (13:36). Jesus was still speaking directly to Peter (and also meant it for all of His followers) when He said, “In My Father’s house are many mansions [rooms]; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 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” (14:2-3). Heaven is a family gathering of believers from every tribe and nation, but it is also our Father’s house—and in that house He is preparing a room just for you. When you arrive in heaven and Jesus opens the door, you’ll know you’re home. I have a home in heaven above From sin and sorrow free-- A mansion which eternal love Designed and formed for me. —Bennett I have chosen you out of the world, so you don't belong to it. Joh 15:19
All of us know what it is like to be in a house that is not our own. Perhaps you've spent time in a dorm room or army barrack. Maybe you've slept in your share of hotels or bunked in a few hostels. They have beds. They have tables. They may have food and they may be warm, but they are a far cry from being "your father's house." Your father's house is where your father is… We don't always feel welcome here on earth. We wonder if there is a place here for us. People can make us feel unwanted. Tragedy leaves us feeling like intruders. Strangers. Interlopers in a land not ours. We don't always feel welcome here. We shouldn't. This isn't our home. To feel unwelcome is no tragedy. Indeed it is healthy. We are not home here. This language we speak, it's not ours. This body we wear, it isn't us. And the world we live in, this isn't home. A Gentle Thunder (Max Lucado) A minister waited in line to have his car filled with gas just before a long holiday weekend. The attendant worked quickly, but there were many cars ahead of him. Finally, the attendant motioned him toward a vacant pump.
"Reverend," said the young man, "I'm so sorry about the delay. It seems as if everyone waits until the last minute to get ready for a long trip." The minister chuckled, "I know what you mean. It's the same in my business." "Somebody has said there are only two kinds of people in the world. There are those who wake up in the morning and say, "Good morning, Lord," and there are those who wake up in the morning and say, "Good Lord, it's morning."
There is the story of a pastor who got up one Sunday and announced to his congregation: "I have good news and bad news. The good news is, we have enough money to pay for our new gym - fellowship hall building program. The bad news is, it's still out there in your pockets." I have written your name on my hand. Isa 49:16 Quite a thought, isn't it? Your name on God's hand. Your name on God's lips. Maybe you've seen your name in some special places. On an award or diploma… But to think that your name is on God's hand and on God's lips … my, could it be? Or perhaps you have never seen your name honoured. And you can't remember when you heard it spoken with kindness. If so, it may be more difficult for you to believe that God knows your name. But he does. Written on his hand. Spoken by his mouth. Whispered by his lips. Your name. When God Whispers Your Name (Max Lucado) My six-year-old son asked if he could say grace.
As we bowed our heads he said, "God is good, God is great. Thank you for the food, and I would even thank you more if Mom gets us ice-cream for dessert. And Liberty and justice for all! Amen" Along with the laughter from the other customers nearby, I heard a woman remark, "That's what's wrong with this country. Kids today don't even know how to pray. Asking God for ice-cream! Why, I never!" Hearing this, my son burst into tears and asked me, "Did I do it wrong? Is God mad at me?" As I held him and assured him that he had done a terrific job, and God was certainly not mad at him. An elderly gentleman approached the table, He winked at my son and said, "I happen to know that God thought that was a great prayer." "Really?" my son asked. "Cross my heart," the man replied. Then, in a theatrical whisper, he added (indicating the woman whose remark had started this whole thing), "Too bad she never asks God for ice-cream. A little ice-cream is good for the soul sometimes." Naturally, I bought my kids ice-cream at the end of the meal. My son stared at his for a moment, and then did something I will remember the rest of my life. He picked up his sundae and, without a word, walked over and placed it in front of the woman. With a big smile he told her, "Here, this is for YOU. Ice cream is good for the soul sometimes; and my soul is good already." I met this guy who has a motto he lives by every day. He said " listen carefully and live by these 4 rules: Drink, Steal, Swear, & Lie." I was shaking my head 'no', but he then told me to listen while he explained his four rules. So here they are: 1.. "DRINK" from the "everlasting cup" every day. 2.. "STEAL" a moment to help someone that is in worse shape than you are. 3.. "SWEAR" that you will be a better person today than yesterday. 4.. And last, but not least, when you "LIE" down at night thank God you live in a country where you have religious freedom. I am not as good as I should be, I am not as good as I could be. but THANK GOD I am better than I used to be ! Party stamp Hy af en ander tel Hy regop ‘n Griekse wysgeer het op ‘n keer gesê dat as die gode jou wil straf, dan maak hulle jou ryk. Dalk is dit nog erger as jy arrogant is. Die Bybel is op rekord dat God hoogmoedige mense nie kan uitstaan nie. Hy kan dit nie vat dat party so vol van hulleself raak dat daar geen plek vir Hom of vir enigiemand anders in hulle lewens oor is nie (Spr 3:34; 1 Pet 5:5). God sal arrogante mense van hulle plastiese troontjies afstamp. Hy sal hoogmoediges verneder en nederiges verhoog.
Mense op wie daar getrap word se noodkrete word tot in die hemel gehoor. Die stemloses en die swakkes se lot gaan nooit ongemerk by God verby nie. Weduwees en weeskinders wat ly raak aan God se hart, soos wat Psalm 146 vertel. Daarom jubel Maria in haar loflied in Lukas 1:46-55 hoedat die Here mense soos sy in haar swakheid raakgesien het. Daarom skryf Jakobus in hoofstuk 4:7-10 hoedat mense wat hulleself voor God verneder opgetel sal word uit die stof. God hou nie van mense wat op ander se nekke trap nie. Of wat ander mense as hulle voltydse slawe beskou nie. Hulle moet nooit enige goeie behandeling van Hom te wagte wees nie. Aan die ander kant roep Hy die nederiges op om hulle hoop op Hom te plaas. En om hulle redding van Hom te verwag. In Christus sal Hy hulle genadig wees. Hy sal Hom oor diegene ontferm wat dag en nag na Hom roep om hulp. "So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lion's den. The king said to Daniel, 'May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!'" Daniel (Daniel 6:16) No question, Daniel got a rough deal. He was set up by jealous lesser men who wanted him out of the way. It seemed like they succeeded except for one thing they overlooked: Daniel's trust in God. The interesting thing, however, about Daniel being thrown into the den of lions is that God didn't deliver him out of the den before Daniel found deliverance in it. Imagine if Daniel had fought against being thrown into the den (which he would have been justified in doing) and gone into the den fighting against it every inch of the way, chances are the lions would have torn him to shreds before he hit the bottom. But Daniel didn't. He accepted his lot and trusted his life to God who shut the lion's mouths. On more than one occasion I have asked God that if I am not going to be delivered out of my "lion's den" (naming the frustrating situation I'm in), would he please deliver me in it. Sometimes, like Daniel, God has a lesson for us to learn in our present difficult situation and before he delivers us out of it, like Daniel, we need to find deliverance in it. Dick Innes |
Ana & Andre Schoonbee God uses us to motivate and encourage the body. Authors
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