A Home With Jesus

      If you could live anywhere you wanted - where would it be? If you could bring anyone you wanted to live with you - who would it be?  What would you think if someone told you God wanted to come live with you today and that His Son Jesus was coming with him, and maybe the Holy Spirit, too?  What would you do if you knew that were really possible?  Would you rush around in some kind of frantic preparation mode?  Would you be nervous, thinking there is no way you could ever make your home good enough for the Heavenly Father and His Holy Son?  If our hearts are right, if we have studied the scriptures and obeyed our God's commandments brothers and sisters, then God and Jesus, as well as the Holy Spirit are well and alive within us already - right now --TODAY.  Isn't that an awesome thought?
        In John 14 Jesus made several beautiful promises to His followers.  Many Christians are familiar with the first few verses of this chapter for they find them a great comfort in trying times.  These verses have also probably been read at many funeral services.  "Let not your heart be troubled, you believe in God, believe also in me.  In my Father's house are many mansions.  If it were not so, I would have told you."  Jesus has promised us a mansion in heaven -- but I am thinking we only get to live with Him in heaven if we have allowed Him to live with us while we are here on earth.
        Jesus tells us in verse 15 of this very same chapter - "If you love me, keep my commandments."  In the very next verses, Jesus makes another promise  - "And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever;  Even the Spirit of Truth;  whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him:  but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortles; I will come to you.  Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more, but ye see me:  because I live, ye shall live also.  At that day, ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me and I in you." (v. 16-20)
        So we can see in these few verses alone that Jesus promises His apostles that He is sending the Holy Spirit to comfort them.  Then He says that even though the world will see Him no more that he will still be with them. And we know - we know that Jesus keeps His promises.
       We know that the apostles did indeed prove their love for Jesus.  They kept His commandments and He sent them another Comforter.  The apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit and boldly testified of the resurrection of Christ.  Jesus was with them, just as He had promised.  God gave them the strength to do this -even in the face of great tribulation and eventually death (for all but John).
        If we love Him and keep His commandments, Jesus will come and live with us too.  Read John 15:21 - "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him."  And in v. 23: "Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him and make our abode with him."
        See!  There it is -there is the promise for us, too. Jesus and our Heavenly Father can and will come and live with us too.  Oh, not in our houses -- but in the home of our hearts -in our innermost being.  He will give us the strength we need to live for Him.  The promise is true - and glorious;  but it is conditional.  We must never forget that.  We must always remember that God's will must be followed.
        I John 2:24b says, "If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father."  And then in I Corinthians 1:9 - Paul tells us "God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord."
        So my friends, if we keep His commandments if we seek Him - He will come and abide with us here while we live on earth.   Then - we will get to go with Jesus to most beautiful home we could ever imagine!  We will go the place He has prepared for us!!

Christ above all things,
Robin