“In my Father’s house are many rooms;
if it were not so, I would have told you.
I am going there to prepare a place for you.
I am going there to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come back and take you to be with me
I will come back and take you to be with me
that you also may be where I am.”
John 14:2-4 NIV
The aftermath of Christmas can be depressing. The beautifully decorated house is now scattered with new gifts and toys. Crumpled wrapping paper and bows fill garbage bags for the next week’s trash. Dishes from the delicious Christmas meal are stacked waiting to be loaded into the dishwasher. And if you have small children you are exhausted because you have been up before the crack of dawn!
As we begin this week, Christmas is but a memory and there are decorations to be taken down and stored. Maybe even a few gifts have to be returned. But take heart, I am reminded that something very special still remains from Christmas.
Yes, it is the Christ Child. Now is the time for me to pick up my Bible and in the weeks ahead read about the life of the Christ Child, his youth, his ministry, his teachings, his miracles, his love, his sacrifice, his resurrection and his ascension into heaven.
In addition, today I am thinking of yet another “leftover.” It is Jesus’ promise to all humanity. In this promise he clearly tells us that he is coming again. Jesus will return to this earth a second time. This time it will not be as a helpless baby, but rather as a victorious, conquering King! For all believers this will be a wonderful, joyous experience. Jesus told us, I go to prepare a place for you that where I am you may be also. For those who do not know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, it will be a sad time of eternal separation from God. Time will be up and there will never again be another opportunity to accept God’s forgiveness.
Jesus’ first arrival was at Christmas two thousand years ago. Another wonderful “leftover,” is the Biblical account of Jesus’ life which remains with us today. God’s Word provides the written account of the life and ministry of our Lord and Savior. As we study the Gospels we see how Jesus’ lived his life. God’s Word provides an incredible example of how we are to live our life as we endeavor to pattern our life after the life of Jesus. It is Jesus’ desire that we believe on him and what he has done for us because he desires that we live with him forever.
When Jesus returned to heaven he promised to send the Holy Spirit to live inside all believers, and he did. The Holy Spirit is a helper and a comforter to all those who believe. It is and always has been Jesus’ desire that every person who ever lived would make it safely back to God. Some people will accept him and others will reject him. God’s Word has been given to help people who do not know him find him. Jesus also left believers with hope. Before Jesus returned to heaven he left us with today’s promise. Jesus is coming back for all who have put their faith and trust in him, and he will be taking us to a place that he is now in heaven preparing for us. God’s Word and hope are two precious “leftovers” from both Christmas and Easter to be treasured!
Questions:
What part of Christmas do you love the most?
Which “leftover” from Christmas do you treasure the most?
Prayer:
Dear Jesus,
I am excited to know that you are in heaven preparing a place for me. I look forward to your return and experiencing all that you have prepared for me. I thank you for the wonder of the Christmas season but I thank you for the incredible “leftovers” that I can now treasure until you return. I love your Word, your Holy Spirit that lives within me, and your precious promise to come a second time as my King! I celebrate your first coming and I anticipate with joy your second coming.
In Your Name I pray. Amen.
