This World Is Not the End of the Story

“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 that you also may be where I am.” John 14:2-3 (NIV)

No matter what I'm going through, no matter what adversity or discouragement I experience, I can be thankful that the pain is not going to last. God has prepared a home for me in heaven! This life is not all there is.

My current home that I love is nothing compared to the place that Jesus has been preparing for his bride, the church. How long has God been preparing heaven for me?

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world’” (Matthew 25:34 NLT).

That’s a long time to prepare! God has been preparing heaven since the creation of the world.

There is more to life than here and now, and one day God is going to settle the score and right the wrongs. This is not the end of the story!

Heaven will be beautiful and enjoyable and restful and rewarding. But the best part is that we will be with Jesus—walking and talking with him and sitting at his feet. He said in John 14:2-3, “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 that you also may be where I am” (NIV).

What an incredible promise! I get to be with Jesus forever. God wanted a family, so he chose me and is preparing a place for me. If I trust in Jesus as Savior and Lord of my life, that promise is for me.

In summary:

Jesus promises that no matter what struggles I face now, they are temporary because He has been preparing a place for me in heaven since the creation of the world. This life is not the whole story—God will one day make all things right, and the home He is preparing will be beautiful, restful, and rewarding. But the greatest part of heaven is being with Jesus Himself, the One who said He will return to take me to be where He is. God wanted a family, chose me, and offers this promise to all who trust Jesus as Savior and Lord.

Bottom Line:

My present struggles are temporary because Jesus has prepared an eternal home for me, and the greatest promise is that I will be with Him forever.

Next Step:

Pause today to thank Jesus for the eternal home He’s preparing and then choose one worry or discouragement you’re carrying—and consciously place it in His hands, reminding yourself that this life is not the end of the story.

How I Can Get God’s Blessing on My Work

In Proverbs 3:9-10 it says, “Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the first and best part of all your income. Then your barns will be full, and your vats will overflow with fresh wine.” (GW)

God’s promises are so good!

Not only does he promise to bless me personally when I give generously, but he also promises to bless my work and my business.

Proverbs 3:9-10 says, “Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the first and best part of all your income. Then your barns will be full, and your vats will overflow with fresh wine” (GW). The first part of that verse is the premise: I give my tithe. The second part is God’s promise: When I tithe, God will fill my barns to overflowing.

Now, most people don’t have a barn to fill to overflowing or even vats to fill with the finest wine.

In Bible times, almost everyone was a farmer. Whatever their barn contained represented their business and investments and livelihood. If the barn was filled, it was a sign of great success and blessing.

I believe that what God is saying is that if I learn to be generous, he will bless my business and my work. He will bless my career and my investments. Sometimes those blessings will be material. But many times they’ll be the spiritual blessings that come from a generous heart. The Bible also says in Proverbs 11:25, “The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed” (NLT).

In my own life, I now own a business, and I want it to prosper and increase in profits? I want God’s blessing on my projects. To get God’s help, not just in my family but also in my business, then I have to fulfill the premise of his promise. I have to be generous with my resources.

“Give freely and spontaneously. Don’t have a stingy heart. The way you handle matters like this triggers [God’s] blessing in everything you do, all your work and ventures” (Deuteronomy 15:10 MSG).

Generosity triggers God’s blessing on my work.

These verses also refer to the practice of giving to God's use the first and best portion of the harvest. Many give God their leftovers. If they can afford to donate anything after the bills are paid, they do so. While these people may be sincere and contribute willingly, their attitude is nonetheless backward. It is better to give God the first part of our income. This demonstrates that God, not possessions, has first place in our lives and that our resources belong to him (we are only managers of God's resources). Giving to God first helps us conquer greed, helps us properly manage God's resources, and opens us up to receive God's special blessings. 

Hold on for God’s Blessing

In Genesis 32:26 I read, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” (NIV)

When God blessed Jacob, he promised to give him land, multiply his family, make him a mighty nation, and use him to bless the world. He made Jacob and his family God’s chosen people.

But just like he does with me today, God gave Jacob a promise and then tested his faith in that promise.

In Genesis 32, Jacob struggled with God all night long in a wrestling match that tested his patience, faith, and trust. Then God injured Jacob at his hip and gave him a serious disadvantage. Jacob was hurt and tired, and yet, at dawn, he still said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me” (Genesis 32:26 NIV).

Isn’t that an interesting thing to say to somebody you’re wrestling with? Apparently sometime during this all-night struggle, Jacob became aware that the one he was wrestling with was no ordinary individual—but God. That meant God could bless him. And so, he refused to let go.

Maybe I feel like I’m wrestling with God right now, and the struggle is lasting way too long. Maybe I don’t want to do the things God has told me to do, like tithe or obey his rules for sex or be kind to my enemies.

The very God I’m wrestling with is the one who gives me my dream for my life. He’s the one who will make it happen! God’s not trying to thwart my dream. He’s getting me ready for it. My struggle will build my stamina, deepen my patience, and increase my resilience.

My wrestling match will also bring me to the point of commitment. Right at the moment when I think I’ve got to give up, I need to turn to God and say, “I’m in this struggle as long as it takes for you to do your good work within me and to bless me.”

That kind of response to God’s test will show him that I’m ready for his dream for my life.

In summary, when God blessed Jacob, he promised to give him land, multiply his family, make him a mighty nation, and use him to bless the world. But just like he does with me today, God gave Jacob a promise and then tested his faith in that promise. In Genesis 32, I see where Jacob struggled with God all night long in a wrestling match that tested his patience, faith, and trust. Then God injured Jacob and gave him a serious disadvantage. Jacob was hurt and tired, and yet, he still said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me”.An interesting thing to say to somebody you’re wrestling with. Sometime during this all-night struggle, Jacob became aware that the one he was wrestling with was no ordinary individual—but God. That meant God could bless him. So, he refused to let go. Maybe I’m wrestling with God right now, and the struggle is lasting way too long. Maybe I don’t want to do the things God has told me to do. The very God I’m wrestling with is the one who gives me my dream for my life. He’s the one who will make it happen! God’s not trying to thwart my dream. He’s getting me ready for it. My struggle will build my stamina, deepen my patience, and increase my resilience. My wrestling match will also bring me to the point of commitment. When I think I’ve got to give up, I need to turn to God and say, “I’m in this struggle as long as it takes for you to do your good work and to bless me.” That kind of response to God’s test will show him that I’m ready for his dream for my life.

Jacob continued this wrestling match all night just to be blessed. He was persistent. God encourages persistence in all areas of my life, including the spiritual. Where in my spiritual life do I need more persistence? Strong character develops as I struggle through tough conditions. 

When I’m Afraid to Make the Wrong Decision

In Psalm 23:3 I read, “He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake." (NIV)

Sometimes I’m afraid of making the wrong decision. And that creates stress.

But God has an antidote to indecision. Psalm 23:3 says, “He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake” (NIV). The way to handle the stress of decision-making is to let God guide me.

However, in the past, I had tried this. I asked God to guide me, but then I became more confused than ever before. I still couldn’t figure it out, and wondered why knowing God’s will is so difficult.

God isn’t playing games with me. He wants to guide me. He wants me to know his will more than I want to know it. But sometimes I look for the wrong thing when I’m trying to find God’s will. 

Some look for a feeling. Some want a formula or recipe to follow. Others take a magical approach and look for God to show a fantastic sign.

But these ways only lead to frustration and can cause me to miss God’s will.

God doesn’t want me confused, and he doesn't want me stressed over making a decision. He is there, guiding me every step of the way. This is his promise, and I can believe it to be true: “He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.”

In summary, God will guide me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Sometimes I’m afraid of making the wrong decision. And that creates stress. God has an antidote to indecision.The way to handle the stress of decision-making is to let God guide me. In the past, I had tried this. I asked God to guide me, but then I became more confused than ever before. I still couldn’t figure it out, and wondered why knowing God’s will is so difficult. God isn’t playing games, He wants to guide me. He wants me to know his will more than I want to know it. But sometimes I look for the wrong thing when I’m trying to find God’s will. Some look for a feeling. Some want a formula or recipe to follow. Others take a magical approach and look for God to show a fantastic sign. These ways only lead to frustration. God doesn’t want me confused, and he doesn't want me stressed over making a decision. He is there, guiding me every step of the way. This is his promise, and I can believe it to be true: “He will guide me along the right paths for his name’s sake.”

God wants to guide me and is a caring shepherd and a dependable guide. I must follow Him and obey his commands. For he is my only hope for eternal life and security. When I allow God, my shepherd, to guide me, I have contentment. When I choose to sin, however, I go my own way and cannot blame God for the environment I created for myself. My shepherd knows the "green meadows" and "peaceful streams" that will restore me. I will reach these places only by following him obediently. Rebelling against the shepherd's leading is actually rebelling against my own best interests. I must remember this the next time I'm tempted to go my own way rather than the shepherd's way.

Father, thank you for Your Word and Jesus as my savior and example. You want me and I need you in my life. Please give me Your strength for today and remind me in little ways that I can always believe in, have faith in and can trust you in everything. This includes being the authority for my life, the source of my self-worth and my hope for the future. You have my best interests in mind. So I ask you to help me to embrace the way you’ve made me; my gifting and passions. Help me to serve and fulfill the mission you have in mind for me. 

Today, I ask you for wisdom and guidance for my day, my work, my leadership, my interactions with others, doing well and making a difference in others lives (including my job.) I pray all these things through your Son Jesus’ name, Amen. 

I Will Never Face the Future Alone

In review of Isaiah 43:2, God tells me that  “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.” (NLT)

Despite my spiritual failure, God shows me mercy, he will bring me back from captivity, and restore me. He will give me an outpouring of love, not wrath. God wants others to know what he alone has done. God redeems and calls me by name because I belong to him. In the past God had protected Israel in times of trouble. He will protect me as well. I too am important to Him and bear his wonderful name, I must never do anything that would bring Him shame.

This is a stressful and unsettled time. At times I feel like I’m going through it alone.

But I’m not! I’m learning that God sees and cares about what I’m going through. He’s right beside me, no matter the situation or circumstances I’m facing.

There is nothing to fear when I know God is near. No matter what I face in the future, I will never face it alone. Deuteronomy 31:6 says, “So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you” (NLT).

Satan will plant all kinds of seeds of doubt and fear in my mind like, “What if I get sick?” or “What if the economy continues to tank?” or “What if there is no new job for me after my time with my current employer?”

Learn to give those fears to Jesus and then remember God promised to never abandon me. I don’t have to know what the future holds because I know who holds the future. God promises, he will be with me.

In summary, when I go through deep waters, God promises to be with me. When I go through rivers of difficulty, I will not drown. When I walk through the fire of oppression, I will not be burned up. Despite my spiritual failure, God shows me mercy, he will bring me back from captivity, and restore me. He will give me an outpouring of love, not wrath. He will protect me. I must never do anything that would bring Him shame. In this stressful and unsettled time, God sees and cares about what I’m going through. He’s right beside me, no matter the situation or circumstances I’m facing. Therefore there is nothing to fear when I know God is near. No matter what,  I will never face it alone. Satan will plant all kinds of seeds of doubt and fear in my mind. I need to learn to give those fears to Jesus and remember God promised to never abandon me. I don’t have to know what the future holds because I know who holds the future. 

Father, I know that my mind started rehearsing last night how I and my team have been hurt and the tendency to want to hurt back. But that is not what you want. There are ways to bring awareness to others without a negative response. Also, I know my mind is taken off course by the devil with doubt. It was helpful to bring to mind scriptures to combat this, and to change the thoughts more towards what I’d like to see in the future. 

I pray this morning Father, with the help of the Holy Spirit within me that I never do anything to bring you shame. That I stay the course and do the best job I can. Help me to be an example and to encourage my team. I pray for a future that benefits you and what you want me to accomplish. Help protect my team and provide them opportunities as well. I ask you also for wisdom and guidance for my day, work, tasks, leadership and interactions with others. These things I ask in you Son Jesus name, Amen.