Jesus is Preparing a Place
Have you ever wondered if it was safe to give your heart to someone? Experiencing real love is the most glorious thing that life has to offer. We want it. We long to give ourselves away. But it comes with a risk; What if the one you give your heart to...breaks it? What if you misjudged their feelings, or worse, they lied about their intentions and you end up getting played for a fool. It hurts. Torturously. Oh! How quickly in life we learn to guard (or even hide) our hearts. How can we know when our hearts are being trifled with? Do they intend to see it through or are we just being strung along?
I come to you today with the greatest news: Jesus has never betrayed a single heart! You can trust Him. He won’t play games with you. He’s not secretly planning to dump you. The love letter He wrote to you describes Him perfectly. Every word is true. Need more convincing? Consider this...
Jesus said “All who are weary and heavy-laden. Come unto Me and I will give you rest. Take my Yoke upon you and learn of me. My Yoke is easy and My burdens are light.”
He also said, “In My Father’s house are many mansions. If it were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you and will come again to receive you unto Myself that where I AM, there you may be also.”
Reading these two statements should have made you shout like nothing else in eternity. You should cry, dance, and get giddy to the point of collapse over this. If you don’t get it yet, here is the big news: Both of these statements are marriage proposals!
In the land of Israel, there was not a lot of suitable land on which to build homes. So, when a young man fell in love, he asked permission to build another layer on the top of his father’s house. If the father approved of the bride, he gave his permission and the son went to work. When he was done preparing a place for her, the father gave him the notice that it was time to go get his bride and finally the family could be complete.
Similarly, when a young man married his bride, the Jewish Rabbi would have them kneel before him and they would take the young man’s tallit or prayer shawl and would drape it over the new bride. This was called “Yoking” the bride to the groom. Never allow anyone to tell you that Jesus views you as an ox or some other stupid beast of burden. It's not about Him knowing how much He can put on you before you break. That is not His Heart. He is not a user. No. He simply wants you to snuggle up under His covering where you can be cherished and safe. He wants you to be yoked to Him. Side by side. Forever.
Oh, church! Hear what Jesus was saying. To His Father, you are a child of God. But to Jesus Himself, you are so much more than you have ever allowed yourself to realize. You are not just a subject bowing before a King. You are not just part of a kingdom. You are far more to Him than just a loyal, obedient servant. Jesus is in love with you. You are always in His heart and on His mind. You are His Bride. He adores you far more than you know.
"Preparing a place for you" is about so much more than just streets of gold, walls of precious jewels, no pain or sorrow, et cetera. Don't sell Heaven short. Please don’t get me wrong. Heaven is a place of reward and Jesus will have surprises for us that we can’t begin to imagine. But the greatest joy of all time will be the full realization of that one true love that we’ve always wanted. Please, Please. PLEASE! Hear the heart of the LORD. If you’ve put Him off, don’t do it any longer. Jesus is so much more than I’m able to tell you. He surpasses everything I’ve ever seen or known, and for over 2,000 years now, He’s been making a love nest to share with His Bride. He’s as real as it gets. He’s genuinely sincere with His proposal and He awaits your answer. Jesus believed that the possibility of being your groom was to die for. And soon (very soon), He’s coming to sweep you away to a place He's prepared just for the two of you.
P.S. Falling in Love with Jesus is the Best Thing I've Ever Done...
Pastor Ed Brewer