A Place For You

In this, the land of the free and home of the brave, there are between 500,000 and 600,000 'homeless' people at any given time. Considering the foreclosure boondoggle that is the scourge of our nation, the first numbers may swell even further. Makes one envy the lowly terrapin, who is never without a home.

Hebrews 11 closes the roster of those revered heroes of faith, with a notation about 'others' of whom the world was not worthy. If you check it out, you will also classify many of these as 'homeless'.

Many thousands of our citizens occupying 'houses' could be considered 'home-less', because they are not synonymous. Can we also label them 'homeless'?

These troubling thoughts make the words of Jesus all the more encouraging:
"I go to prepare a place for you" (John 14:2). A place for me?

Because of my calling as a minister, my family has lived in a LOT of different houses, which we called 'home' even though we did not own them. And, I venture to say, there are multiplied millions of my fellow citizens who are apartment and rent house dwellers who are without the root system a purchased home affords. To many, the thought of 'going home' has little meaning because they don't know where 'home' is.

But Jesus has promised 'a place for me--and you'. This will be our forever home with no need for packing up a u-haul or leaving a forwarding address!
Everything we need will be there, so no more 'early parsonage' furniture. And family--ah, yes, family. What a reunion in that 'place' Jesus is preparing.

When the family gathers on special occasions with a sit down dinner, every care is made to make sure there is 'a place' for everyone. At fancy, formal dinners, a name card is placed where you are to sit. They made 'a place' for you. Now think of heaven's arrangement: each and every one of us who have received Jesus as our Savior had our names inscribed in the Book of Life, and a special place for us awaits at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

"A place for you!" What assurance, what comfort, what an urging to include all our earthy family! To whoever might discover these lines, have you made reservations by asking Jesus to be your Savior? Blog me if I can help.

More later.