ROOM FOR JESUS – DAY 1 of 8
I am a fan of tiny houses. I enjoy looking at the floor plans and exteriors. If it comes into my social media feed, I’m going to look at it in detail. Given the current size of my home and all the stuff I have in use and in storage – shoot even just looking at my walk-in closet – it is obvious that I am not ready for a tiny home. But maybe someday…
One of my favorite scriptures is this: John 14:1-3 [NKJV] 1 "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 "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. 3 "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, [there] you may be also.
When I read “in my Father’s house are many mansions”, that doesn’t exactly sound right in concept. I mean we can think of many rooms in a mansion, but it seems odd to consider many mansions within a single house.
However, God, who exists beyond time and space, who inhabits eternity in both directions (past and future) is not limited by our human concepts.
I believe that Jesus wanted us to understand two things in this scripture:
1. There is plenty of room in God’s home. Salvation is not a finite string with no stretch. It is a rubber band that stretches toward all who wish to be included. God is not offering tiny homes where you cannot conceive of your family, friends, neighbors, or even those who consider themselves your enemies coming over for a BBQ. He is offering lots of room. We should not limit Him or salvation in our own minds. The way is narrow. I get that. But it is not OUR job to limit God’s ability to bring people in or monitor the eye of the needle to make sure no unwanted camels get through.
2. Although He left this earth, Jesus has not stopped wanting to be with us, or working toward our ability to join Him in the Father’s house. He is getting the spaces – our places – ready for the day He comes again to receive us to Him.
This reminds me of Thanksgiving with my family. For weeks ahead of time I’d be thinking about spaces for everyone. Maybe buying new air mattresses or blankets or towels to ensure everyone had what they needed to feel comfortable – to feel at home. I’d plan menus for breakfast and snacks. Our typical communal meals were lunch and dinner when the rest of the family – those not staying with me would arrive (or we’d all take off for my sister’s house). Crockpot egg scrambles, homemade cinnamon rolls, bowls of snack bars, candy and fruit.
In my excitement, I over-prepared. I’m not saying that Jesus will over prepare. He is our perfect Savior. He’ll prepare just right. But I am suggesting He is every bit as excited (and maybe more) to prepare a beautiful place for each of us, a MANSION of our own, and to welcome us in.
Now to the crux of this eight-day blog series: Do you have room for Jesus? What kind of room?
I invite you to join me as we explore the rooms of our lives and ask ourselves, “Am I making room for Jesus here?”
I welcome your comments and questions along the way. You can write me in the comments/chat section or any time at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org