Real Good Part 3: "A Place" - Jesus has a place for all.

I wear many hats both literally and figuratively. Literally I like wearing hates because they are like a hug for my head. Figuratively, the hats I wear represent a place in which I fit.  I, like everyone else seek to fit into my place and I can get very uncomfortable when my place in unclear. However the challenge for me is realizing the place God has created for me. The choice that I have in attempting to occupy my place is to try and define it myself, or seek God and fit into the place that He has created for me. 

You face the same issue and the same question.  In our post-Christian culture and even within the church we view life as “carving out our niche” in this world through self-actualization not through the discovery of why God has created us. The problem here is that we often get it wrong, because we make such determinations at an early age or listen to the lies about we are. Too often we define ourselves by our mistakes or the harm that someone else has done to us.

However, Jesus has a place that He has prepared for you. The context for this thought is John 13 and 14. Here we read John's account of what is popularly called, "The Last Supper". As Jesus and His disciples were celebrating the Feast of Passover, Jesus speaks of some disturbing news. He speaks of someone betraying Him and that their betrayal would lead to His death. This is not the first time Jesus has spoken of this, yet the news in no more clear than its previous mention. Jesus also speaks of the fact that He will be going away and that the disciples could not follow Him now but He would return and receive them again. 

Peter in his usual form speaks up and proclaims that he would follow Jesus to his own death. As much as I am sure Jesus appreciated this, He tells Peter that he would do just the opposite by denying Him three time prior to the sunrise. The most amazing part of this, is Jesus' next words in the conversation. After telling Peter that he would deny Him three times He states, "let not your heart be troubled." In other words Jesus is saying to Peter, I know that you are going to deny but don't let this trouble your heart because I am making a place for you. Jesus knows that Peter is struggling with this but He wants Him to know that his struggle which results in rejection does not mean the end. Through this discussion we discover that Jesus through His death and resurrection is creating a place for all of us who have denied  Him and have more questions than answers. 

As you think about this story, reflect on the following truths:

1. There is a place for those who have rejected Jesus. John 13:31-38

2. There is a place for those who are troubled by the way God works. 
    John 14:1

3. There is a place with Jesus. John 14:2-3

3. There is a place for those with honest questions. John 14:4-5

4. There is a place to which there is a clear and definite path. John 14:6

  

With these truths in mind, the challenge becomes dealing with the questions that remain. As much  as we may desire for Him to do so, God does not answer all of our questions. Many things remain unclear, specifically about our eternal home. I challenge each one who reads this to focus of loving one another as the questions remain or are answered. The world will not know that you are a Christian because you have all the answers, but will know that you are a Christian because you love To be reminded of this read once again Jesus words in John 13:33-35. 

A final thought for now is that as we focus on loving one another, we can trust that God can do a better job creating a place for us, than we for ourselves. May we not forget that we are created beings and that as such we have a Creator who does not create haphazardly but does so with our specific place in mind. We are not created to fit into this broken world, but we are created to fit into the eternal world that will exist when God restores all things.