Tag: Jesus Christ

The Father’s House

 

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”

– John 14:1-3

Our hearts can be very disturbed.  It happens more frequently than we think.  We are like a styrofoam cup on the sea in a storm.  Jesus asks us to trust Him in this.  Your trust is very important to Him.  He covets your faith in Him.

Jesus reveals a bit of heaven to us.

  • First, it is a house and not a motel.  There is a warmth and comfort in a house.
  • Second, it is expansive– many rooms, the word is ‘dwelling places’.  Someplace that is relaxing and restful. It’s a place you’ll never, ever want to leave.
  • Third, it is a ‘prepared’ place.  I have friends with a B & B.  They are continually working to make it a comfortable and restful place for their guests.

We see our Lord Jesus taking a personal interest in our stay.  He is involved in making heaven a remarkable place.  That intrigues me.  Somehow eternity seems more hospitable with Jesus directly handling our transition.  He is making all the arrangements on our behalf.

A promise has been given.  He intends to be our escort into heaven.  No one gets lost, or confused as He is completely present.  Our destination is sure, and our Savior is strong.  When Jesus spoke these things, His disciples were encouraged and fortified in their hope and faith.

“It is not darkness you are going to, for God is Light. It is not lonely, for Christ is with you. It is not unknown country, for Christ is there.”

 Charles Kingsley

The promise is precise.  Where I am, there you will be!  This is solid and definitive.  There is nothing vague or ethereal about this.  We will be in His presence just as if it were a dear friend coming by for coffee.  Too often this all gets lost in a haze or fog, and reality is just not there.  But it is real, and its this life, here and now that has no eternal solidity.  And, He has given us His word.

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Back When We Were Grown Ups

 

“I promise you that you cannot get into God’s kingdom, unless you accept it the way a child does.”  Mark 10:15, CEV

“So Jesus called the children over to him and said, “Let the children come to me! Don’t try to stop them. People who are like these children belong to God’s kingdom.”   Luke 18:16, CEV

One of the essential tenets of real discipleship is Jesus’ insistence on his disciples becoming children.  It actually is the entry point for all believers.  Everyone who really believes begins here, at ‘childlikeness’.

It’s interesting to note that ‘religion’ moves in the opposite direction– a level of sophistication is cultivated.  One becomes intellectual, emphasising the ‘academics’ over gentleness and goodness or love.

I think that there is an excessively high appreciation for broad-mindedness, but it is a cultivated, savoir-faire that is really is nothing but an embarrassment to the Kingdom of God.  It seems our discipleship is strongest when it is simplest.  Humbling ourselves is what makes us incredibly authentic– at least from His point-of-view.

And maybe–  just maybe, ‘becoming small’ is exactly what ‘the doctor has ordered’.  We need this, it needs to be imbedded into our hearts, and altering the way we encounter life.  If we are going to be real, then we must become children.  Becoming a child is an imperative.

Who do we think we are?  Often, we start out ‘broken’.  We esteem gentleness and brokenness.  We understand that the most valuable possession we can possess is a ‘childlikeness’. This can be understood by everyone we encounter– especially believers.  But this is only our starting point, we do not outgrow this, never.

Christians are set apart by their childlike heart.

“But I am calm and quiet,
like a baby with its mother.
I am at peace, like a baby with its mother.”

Psalm 131:2

ybic, Bryan

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Correction for Christ Followers

“For the Lord corrects those he loves,
just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.”  

Prov. 3:12, NLT

Interesting.  Some people get a double-dip.  If you are a loved son/daughter you have the tremendous honor of being loved and also of being disciplined.  My own son is disciplined because I love him so much.  He’s my boy and I love him even more than my own life.  When I do need to correct him, it is that love that makes it possible.  If I didn’t really love him, I would let him do his thing without any discipline at all. It would be easier.

To be left alone, with no correction or discipline is to be in a difficult place.  It smacks of abandonment.  Or of being cast-off or sent away.  It can be worse then abuse.

And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said,

   “My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline,
      and don’t give up when he corrects you.
  For the Lord disciplines those he loves,
      and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.”

Heb. 12:5-6

The connection between a loving and caring Father, and you will require you to cooperate with His correction.  The writer of Hebrews knew the frail nature of people.  The writer knew that people would be tempted to quit– it is so hard.  “Don’t give up” in verse 5.  That means we will be tempted do so, to walk away and quit.  People do it all the time. It is easy.

“As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? 8 If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all. 9 Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever?”

Heb. 12:7-9

God loves you.  God loves you so much that He wants to change you.  Understanding that you are a son or a daughter in His family makes life worth living.

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ybic, Bryan

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A Fatal Disease Called Sin

“Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”

Hebrews 7:25

This defies reason.  No matter how diseased your spirit, or black and vile your sin, Jesus reaches you.  He takes extreme cases, and loves each person who comes.  Mercy is the real currency of the Kingdom of God.

“Our Saviour kneels down and gazes upon the darkest acts of our lives. But rather than recoil in horror, he reaches out in kindness and says, ‘I can clean that if you want.’ And from the basin of his grace, he scoops a palm full of mercy and washes our sin.”

Max Lucado 

The Kingdom is thriving.  “Where sin abounds, grace abounds even more.”  The behavior of our Lord is astonishing.  He cleanses us daily from the sin and darkness we commit.  He stands in a place of intense intervention for us.  He is a gifted intercessor and prays consistently and efficiently. 

Dialysis is a medical procedure that works to cleanse and purify a person’s blood. Those with sick kidneys can hook up to a device that filters out toxins and wastes out. It is an intervention that exists until a healthy kidney can be found. Often, in times of prayer and worship, I picture my own heart being cleansed from sin. People sometimes miss their dialysis– this can lead to confusion and mental impairment. You might say that Jesus is God’s mechanism for healing my soul.

Being touched by Him is the only reason we live.  We have no reason and there is no relevance without being with Him.  Our issues (which some call weaknesses) are His way of blessing us.  “In our weaknesses, we become strong”.

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ybic, Bryan

 

 

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