Have you ever had someone prepare something
special just for you? It could be a gift they made by hand or a party
designed especially for you. Even if you didn’t like every aspect of
the gift (it might even have been pretty hideous), it is hard not to be
touched by the care and thought that went into preparing it for you. I
have received gifts from my kids that would not exactly qualify to be
displayed in any art museum but I loved the gift and was touched by them
all the same.
Have you thought about how the following passage from John 14 applies to you personally?
Part of what Jesus is doing in Heaven right now is preparing a place for each of us. I believe He is preparing a place specifically for each one of us who are to join Him in Heaven. The phrasing here seems to indicate something personal and not a general statement that means a single place to be shared by everyone. Why else would He mention the many rooms? You will probably have your own room specifically created and prepared by Jesus Himself.
Think about that for a minute. Your eternal home will be prepared and created for you by the One through whom the universe was made. It will be crafted by the one who knows what you truly desire better than even you do. You may love the home you live in now or you may not think so fondly of it. However you view your current earthly home, it was made by men using man’s poor understanding of the materials used and the building principles involved. People differ in opinion as to whether the eternal heaven will be purely spiritual or have some physical aspect to it. But the point is that Jesus is creating something for you that will be so much better than anything man can make, it may take you half of eternity to fully appreciate it. (You may need to think about what ‘half of eternity’ would be for a second).
You may be wondering if your eternal home will be a spiritual dwelling or a physical dwelling. Revelation 22 tells us “1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.” Since we are told there will be a new heaven AND a new earth, it seems there will be some physical aspect to Heaven when this time comes. This may be VERY different than the physical things we can now see and touch. It seems John would have left off the new earth bit if the eternal heaven were to be totally spiritual. I personally feel it will be a combination of the spiritual and the physical.
I am not writing this to merely give you a warm fuzzy feeling that will pass as soon as you start thinking about what to eat for your next meal. I want to help give you an eternal perspective that will affect the way you see everything here in this life. Hope of this future home can help when dealing with problems with your current home. It can help encourage you through trials you face during this life. Setting your sights on the eternal, instead of on this earthly existence, helps you put things in the proper perspective. So, look forward to the best hand-made Christmas gift ever, which will be from Jesus Himself, on that great and glorious day that is described in Revelation 21.
There is a lot more about our eternal home in my latest book Heaven: Harps Optional.
Have you thought about how the following passage from John 14 applies to you personally?
2 In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 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. (NIV)
Part of what Jesus is doing in Heaven right now is preparing a place for each of us. I believe He is preparing a place specifically for each one of us who are to join Him in Heaven. The phrasing here seems to indicate something personal and not a general statement that means a single place to be shared by everyone. Why else would He mention the many rooms? You will probably have your own room specifically created and prepared by Jesus Himself.
Think about that for a minute. Your eternal home will be prepared and created for you by the One through whom the universe was made. It will be crafted by the one who knows what you truly desire better than even you do. You may love the home you live in now or you may not think so fondly of it. However you view your current earthly home, it was made by men using man’s poor understanding of the materials used and the building principles involved. People differ in opinion as to whether the eternal heaven will be purely spiritual or have some physical aspect to it. But the point is that Jesus is creating something for you that will be so much better than anything man can make, it may take you half of eternity to fully appreciate it. (You may need to think about what ‘half of eternity’ would be for a second).
You may be wondering if your eternal home will be a spiritual dwelling or a physical dwelling. Revelation 22 tells us “1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.” Since we are told there will be a new heaven AND a new earth, it seems there will be some physical aspect to Heaven when this time comes. This may be VERY different than the physical things we can now see and touch. It seems John would have left off the new earth bit if the eternal heaven were to be totally spiritual. I personally feel it will be a combination of the spiritual and the physical.
I am not writing this to merely give you a warm fuzzy feeling that will pass as soon as you start thinking about what to eat for your next meal. I want to help give you an eternal perspective that will affect the way you see everything here in this life. Hope of this future home can help when dealing with problems with your current home. It can help encourage you through trials you face during this life. Setting your sights on the eternal, instead of on this earthly existence, helps you put things in the proper perspective. So, look forward to the best hand-made Christmas gift ever, which will be from Jesus Himself, on that great and glorious day that is described in Revelation 21.
There is a lot more about our eternal home in my latest book Heaven: Harps Optional.
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