Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

October 8
Friday


IMAGINE

READ:
John 14:1-6
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Let not your heart
be troubled.
__John 14:1
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Our church's young people did what they could to"construct heaven." It was time for the spring banquet, and the creative teens used lights, Styrofoam, and other materials to turn the auditorium into their best idea of heaven.

The theme of the banquet was "I Can Only Imagine," from the song by MercyMe. Our daughter Melissa helped transform the church. When I visited to see how the kids were doing, she was in the rafters hanging stars. The night of the banquet, my wife and I were able to hear one of Melissa's friends sing the theme song as we all thought about this faraway place called heaven.

Of course, we never could have imagined that Melissa would be entering the real heaven just 6 weeks later. The imaginary would become reality.

Jesus told us about heaven as a way of untroubling our hearts. He said, "Let not your hearts be troubled;...in My Father's house are many mansions....I go to prepare a place for you" (John 14:1-2).

Heaven is a prepared place for prepared hearts--a place of unimaginable beauty, splendor, and majesty. It's where God is caring for our believing loved ones, and someday for us. Imagine heaven, and rejoice!
__Dave Branon
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``````````````````The Lord has promised to prepare```````````````
``````````````````````A place in heaven above```````````````````
``````````````````A home where we will always be````````````````
`````````````````With Him and those we love. __Sper``````````````
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Jesus is preparing a place for us
and preparing us for that place


*************Today's Bible Reading __ John 14:1-6***************

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.

4 And where I go you know,
and the way you know."

5 Thomas said to Him,
"Lord, we do not know
where You are going, and
how can we know the
way?"

6 Jesus said to him, "I am
the way, the truth, and the
life. No one comes to the
Father except through Me."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Thomas is renowned throughout the Christian community as the
"doubter," a moniker he picked up on resurrection day. While
Thomas was away, Christ first appeared to the discipled--but when
they told Thomas, he responded with strong words of skepticism
about the Master being alive (John 20:34-25). He has been branded
as a doubter ever since. But here in John 14, the doubting disciple
gave another skeptical response to Jesus' teaching for which we can
be grateful. In verse 5 he said, "Lord, we do not know where you
are going, and how can we know the way?" His question opened the
door for one of the greatest statements in the New Testament. Jesus
replied, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through Me" (v.6) Thomas' doubting question gives us
a marvelous declaration of why we can have--and must have--faith
in Christ. __BILL CROWDER