December 14, 2023

John 14: 2, 3 “In my Father’s house are many rooms . . . 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 may also be where I am.” (NIV)

Because we . . . fret over time, we figure God does, too.*

Our almighty and awesome God was able to create the universe in six days. From the smallest organism to the largest celestial object, he got it done in six days. I believe he could have done it in an instant but he chose – for his own reasons – to perform the act of creation in an orderly process. 

With that having been said, we have to wonder at the wonders of heaven if it is taking him more than 2,000 years to get it ready for us! 

Of course, time is not a thing in eternity. If we take Peter’s words literally (“With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” II Peter 3: 8), then he’s only been working on our place in heaven for a couple of days. But the amount of time spent in preparation is not the most important message in this passage. Jesus’ words offer us comfort in (at least) two ways: 

1. If he’s going to all the trouble to prepare the place – whether for two days or for 2,000 years – he’s certainly going to come and get us when it’s ready. Our room reservations are confirmed by his blood. 

2. He is coming to take us to be with him. Being with us is his number one priority. He didn’t die so that we could do something (and doom us to failure!), but so that we could be with him. 

So, while he is making preparations to be with us for eternity, what are we doing to prepare ourselves for it? How much time do we spend with him now? Is it time well-spent – or is it an obligation? If the minutes that we give to Jesus now are not joyful ones, how will we endure eternity in his presence? If we don’t find joy in his presence here, will our room reservation be canceled? Not a happy thought!

How can a man be prepared for an eternal heaven who finds the worship of God on earth irksome and tedious?*