Sumter Pastor Dr. Joey Durham: Are you prepared to go to Heaven, your eternal home?
I hope you're having a great day, and thank you for taking the time to read our devotion today! The thought for today is "The Importance of Preparation," and I want to look at John 14:1-3 for our text. "Let not your heart be troubled: ye 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. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." (KJV)
Please notice how Jesus Christ is sharing with His disciples and us that He went away to prepare a place for those who know Him as their Lord and Savior.
Preparations are a normal part of everyday life. When we awake in the morning, we prepare for the day. Parents prepare meals for their family. Those in business prepare for the activities and transactions of their business day. Teachers are busy preparing the lessons for their students, and I could go on and on. At the close of the day, we prepare for a good night's rest, and in the morning, we awake to do it all over again. Preparation shows discipline, diligence and the good character trait that lets others know you're on top of things.
In our text, the Lord Jesus told His disciples, "I go to prepare a place for you." Please understand that Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people. The great news is that God loves you so very much, and He wants more than anything for you to prepare to go to His Heaven!
John 3:16 states, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (KJV) Preparation is expected in most areas of everyday life, so why would we neglect being prepared for eternity? In Isaiah 55:6, God extends His desire for mankind concerning the need to prepare for Heaven. "Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near." (KJV) God has promised in Romans 10:13, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (KJV) It is so simple and also so important to prepare now for Heaven to be your eternal home. Jesus Christ went away to prepare a place for you, but are you prepared to go to that place?
Dr. Joey Durham is pastor at Open Bible Baptist Church at 180 Old Manning Road in Sumter. You can contact Pastor Durham at durham.joey@yahoo.com or call the church office at (803) 481-9315.