Father's House
If you've taken stock of how this pandemic has thrown the state of our world's financial, health, political, religious, entertainment, and personal lives into disarray you may be tempted to lose all hope in this world. Good! Maybe that's the prize you receive for losing all false hope in what has always been hopelessly trying to be your sense of stability and personhood. Maybe it’s your time to proclaim your freedom from a misguided and broken system. Then maybe, like the man healed by Jesus of blindness, you will begin to look around you; what do you see? As you surely your surroundings ask yourself, who or what can you work with around you? Ask the Lord to open your eyes so that you might see beyond your doubt and despair. It will be then that you will see that the fields are ripe and the sun is up.
In the New Testament, the Gospel of John, chapter 14, Jesus said, "Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.”
As I read this portion of John’s gospel account I feel compelled to break it down and find its relevance in my life in the here and now, and not to see it only as a far-off event disconnected from my everyday journey till his future coming.
Let’s start at the beginning. Jesus begins by telling us to not let our hearts be troubled, this is an important first step in everything we do here on earth. I am reminded of the expression, “the heart of the matter”; the heart is where all things are judged and where our expression of that judgment proceeds. Can we for a moment see how important that is for you to take hold of it, if take hold of it, it will take hold of you, and it may not be in a good way. For this reason, I believe the two important words to first focus on are “let not”. In that Jesus starts his discourse in this way is very telling; apparently, we Have some level of control over our circumstances, let that sink in! You may be allowing people and circumstances to take the power you yourself have and are desperately in need of to overcome a hardship or hill your desire to take in your life. Once you have taken hold of this power over your heart you can then, by an act of your will to the second thing, “believe in God”, though in order for you to receive this message from Jesus you must also believe in him; otherwise, his message is lost in your doubt that he speaks for God that it is not purely his own thoughts but comes with the highest level of authority and knowledge of what is true. In taking hold of your heart and trusting the messenger you are now ready to receive the essence of the message.
The message; let’s continue to break it down, Jesus then says: “In my father’s house”, this can be broken down even further to “In”, and not unlike the first part this to is filled with deep meaning and strength for us to take hold of if we are to grow and overcome when worry and doubt overcome us. The word “In” or ‘inside’ implies something someone has possession of, and in some form or level authority over, which can also imply that they have the rights over it and can choose to share or hold back from others. In this case, it is his Father who has possession and authority of it as it is in his “house”. Our houses or homes have been referred to in the past as our castles which we are rulers over, you might say it speaks of authority over and the ability to form boundaries or bridges for things and others to yield to or crossover into.
Thomas(the one who doubted the resurrection) said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
As I read this portion of John’s gospel account I feel compelled to break it down and find its relevance in my life in the here and now, and not to see it only as a far-off event disconnected from my everyday journey till his future coming.
Let’s start at the beginning. Jesus begins by telling us to not let our hearts be troubled, this is an important first step in everything we do here on earth. I am reminded of the expression, “the heart of the matter”; the heart is where all things are judged and where our expression of that judgment proceeds. Can we for a moment see how important that is for you to take hold of it, if take hold of it, it will take hold of you, and it may not be in a good way. For this reason, I believe the two important words to first focus on are “let not”. In that Jesus starts his discourse in this way is very telling; apparently, we Have some level of control over our circumstances, let that sink in! You may be allowing people and circumstances to take the power you yourself have and are desperately in need of to overcome a hardship or hill your desire to take in your life. Once you have taken hold of this power over your heart you can then, by an act of your will to the second thing, “believe in God”, though in order for you to receive this message from Jesus you must also believe in him; otherwise, his message is lost in your doubt that he speaks for God that it is not purely his own thoughts but comes with the highest level of authority and knowledge of what is true. In taking hold of your heart and trusting the messenger you are now ready to receive the essence of the message.
The message; let’s continue to break it down, Jesus then says: “In my father’s house”, this can be broken down even further to “In”, and not unlike the first part this to is filled with deep meaning and strength for us to take hold of if we are to grow and overcome when worry and doubt overcome us. The word “In” or ‘inside’ implies something someone has possession of, and in some form or level authority over, which can also imply that they have the rights over it and can choose to share or hold back from others. In this case, it is his Father who has possession and authority of it as it is in his “house”. Our houses or homes have been referred to in the past as our castles which we are rulers over, you might say it speaks of authority over and the ability to form boundaries or bridges for things and others to yield to or crossover into.
Thomas(the one who doubted the resurrection) said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
I highly recommend the following videos on YouTube as you continue your journey:
- Cory Asbury’s new song, “The Father’s House”
- RICH VS POOR MINDSET | An Eye-Opening Interview with Robert Kiyosaki