Today’s scripture was John 14:1-7.
John 14:1-7 (YLT)
1 `Let not your heart be troubled, believe in God, also in me believe; 2 in the house of my Father are many mansions; and if not, I would have told you; I go on to prepare a place for you; 3 and if I go on and prepare for you a place, again do I come, and will receive you unto myself, that where I am ye also may be; 4 and whither I go away ye have known, and the way ye have known.’ 5 Thomas saith to him, `Sir, we have not known whither thou goest away, and how are we able to know the way?’
6 Jesus saith to him, `I am the way, and the truth, and the life, no one doth come unto the Father, if not through me; 7 if ye had known me, my Father also ye would have known, and from this time ye have known Him, and have seen Him.’
Often we get bogged down in our “Christianity” thinking too much about what we must do or who we must be in order to become pleasing to God. Jesus speaks these words to His disciples as a kind of change of vision. A new paradigm only seen through the eyes of someone indwelt with the Holy Spirit. When we attempt to act as Christians we are not in sin of course, but we are simply missing the point. This “where I go” Jesus is speaking of is not a temporal place. It is an eternal beingness only found through faith. A “being” one with God which is eternal and true and living. Now by faith we have access to many things promised by God. This is well and good but the very first thing to be, that is to believe when you are a Christian, is by this faith in Christ redemption of our sinful natures we become a new creature born of the Holy Spirit; one with God for eternity. This place where Jesus is – is not temporal – it is eternal life. It is not a place we must travel to or achieve by our strength. It is a place we can follow Jesus to, found in surrender and submission to God; in God’s timing; in God’s way of communication – by His Word. This is the way… this is the truth… this is the life.
We will work out many things together if you are willing to follow along and surrender to the Word of God in Truth. I pray God will help us grow together and find this place of being. I look forward to our conversations – but this is a fine place to start.
a Chaplain