This devotional was excerpted from an article written by Evangelist Wil Rice. You too may receive his free devotionals from firstlight@billriceranch.org.
John 14:1: Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
We are living in a troubled world, community, neighborhood or even our own houses. This is not new. In fact, when Jesus walked this earth, the people who were the closest to Him were sometimes troubled.
In John 13, Jesus had told Peter that Peter would deny Him, and that is exactly what happened. Also in that chapter, Judas betrayed Jesus. All of the disciples were of a troubled mind. They knew that something was afoot, something was about to happen. They had some sense that Jesus was about to die, but beyond that they were murky.
Jesus says in John 14:1, *Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.* Then He talks about the place, the Father*s house, He was going to prepare. He says, *If it were not so, I would have told you… If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.*
John 14 is full of the language of certainty. Jesus says, *I go.* He says, *I will come.* He says, *You know.* All this culminates in His command, *Let not your heart be troubled.* Now, the difference between living in a troubled world and living with a troubled heart is what you do with Jesus. Jesus was troubled for you. He was troubled that you need not be. You can live in certainty. You can be certain of the Lord Jesus. Jesus said, *Ye believe in God, believe also in me.*
That really is the rub. People are much quicker to deny or reject Jesus Christ than just some mere notion of a higher power. No higher power can help you. Only God Almighty, the God Who sent His only begotten Son Jesus, can make a way of peace with Him as you turn to Him through His Son Jesus.
So, you can be certain of the Lord Jesus. If you have never done that, then that is where you must begin. If you are saved, then realize that although you don*t know what is going to happen tomorrow, you do know what will happen in eternity. You are actually more certain about a bigger thing, eternity, than you are about a small thing, like what will happen in the next five minutes. But, having certainty about eternity ought to give you a calmer mind about today and tomorrow. If you can trust God with eternity, don*t you think you can trust Him with right now?
Second, you can be certain of the heaven that the Lord Jesus is preparing. It is literal. He said, *I go.* Jesus is real. He speaks of the Father*s house, which is just as real as the Father is. He says, *I prepare it for you.* This place is just as literal as you are. You can be certain of the place that Jesus is preparing.
Finally, you can be certain of the way. Jesus said, *And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.* Thomas basically responded, *Lord, we don*t know where You are going, and we don*t know how to get there.* To which Jesus said, *I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me.* There is a certain way to peace with God and to the Father*s house, and that is Jesus.
The difference between living in this troubled world and living with a troubled heart is what you do with Jesus today.
You may contact Ron with questions, comments or prayer requests via email at ronsbibletopics@yahoo.com.