A place for you and you for a place

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Sanctification”

Our Bible verse for today: “If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am you may be also.” John 14:3 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “A place for you and you for a place”

Recently I came across one of the best descriptions I have ever read of the process of progressive sanctification and I want to share it with you this morning. It comes from Pastor Chuck Swindoll and is included in the editorial notes on John 14:3 in The Swindoll Study Bible:

“During the interval of time between the Lord’s departure from earth and His return, He is involved in two projects. One: to prepare a place for His children. Two: to prepare His children for a place. He is engaged right now in preparing heaven for His own. That’s what’s happening away from our sight. But on this earth, He is also engaged in preparing us for the life we will live in eternity with Him.”

Jesus is preparing heaven for you, and He is preparing you for heaven. The day will come when your place in heaven will be ready for you, and you will be ready for your place in heaven. This causes me to believe that one of the reasons God is keeping me here on earth rather than bringing me to heaven is because He’s not done with me yet. Nor is He done with you. I suspect another reason is because He has more work for each of us to do here on earth. But in the meantime, He is also molding and shaping each of us, sanding down the rough edges of our personalities; He is growing us spiritually, and bringing each of us to the point where we are ready to join Him in heaven.

But I can’t help wondering why it’s taking so long. In my vanity I would like to believe that He is turning me into something really special (spiritually) and so it’s taking a long time; and also, that my place in heaven will be correspondingly awesome, so that’s taking some time too. (I suspect the truth is probably that I’m like hard wood that requires a lot of sanding in order to make much change at all and it’s just taking God a long time to do much of anything with me.)

In any case, I think Pastor Chuck is right – Jesus is preparing heaven for us, and He is preparing us for heaven.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

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