Do not worry. There are times that we may feel defeated when we realize our sinful condition. We may feel that we have pushed God away by our actions. “What I did cannot be forgiven,” you may think to yourself. But remember that God loves you and desires that you will live forever in His presence.
I cannot imagine what it would feel like to reject, or deny Jesus in His presence; three times.
Ephesians 2:4-5, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.”
I can imagine the conversation in the upper room with Jesus and His disciples. Jesus was explaining that He must go away. Then Peter asked Jesus, where He was going and wanted to know why he couldn’t go with Him. You can read the beautiful exchange in John 13:36-38, and John 14:1-4.
The question, “where are you going?” was answered by Jesus, “Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards,” in John 13:36 It was also answered in John 14:4. Lets read it together.
John 13:36-38, and John 14:1-4, “Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward.” Peter said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You now? I will lay down my life for Your sake.” Jesus answered him, “Will you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times.
“Let not your heart be troubled; you 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 to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.”
It is encouraging the love that Jesus has for us. How He told Peter what he was soon to do in betraying Him, yet he lovingly told Peter not to worry.
Jesus tells all of us that we are not to worry. We are to believe in Him and in His faithfulness to us He has gone to prepare a place for us.
John 3:16, “ 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.” “If you believe in God, believe also in me…”
I encourage you to cling to the promises of God when we have fallen short. We feel badly when we have given in to temptation as we strive to live a Christ focused life. But He has promised us forgiveness of our sins if we just turn away from evil and ask.
1 John 2:1, “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father–Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.”
The disciples weren’t asking about mansions or streets of gold. They were asking where Jesus was going and if they could go with Him. They loved their friend Jesus and the thought of Him being away from them was troubling. “Lord,” Peter asks, “Why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake.”
The Jesus comforts Peter and those in the room by promising “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. And where I go you know, and the way you know.” Not only will we know where Jesus is always, but we will know the way to get to where He is. This is a beautiful promise for those longing to spend be in His presence.
So, let not your heart be troubled. Do not worry.
Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
