除卻憂傷
約翰福音十四章1至10節
1你們心裡不要憂愁；你們信神，也當信我。
2在我父的家裡有許多住處；若是沒有，我就早已告訴你們了。我去原是為你們預備地方去。
3我若去為你們預備了地方，就必再來接你們到我那裡去，我在那裡，叫你們也在那裡。
4我往那裡去，你們知道；那條路，你們也知道（有古卷作：我往那裡去，你們知道那條路）。
5多馬對他說：主阿，我們不知道你往那裡去，怎麼知道那條路呢？
6耶穌說我就是道路、真理、生命；若不藉著我，沒有人能到父那裡去。
7你們若認識我，也就認識我的父。從今以後，你們認識他，並且已經看見他。
8腓力對他說：求主將父顯給我們看，我們就知足了。
9耶穌對他說：腓力，我與你們同在這樣長久，你還不認識我麼？人看見了我，就是看見了父；你怎麼說將父顯給我們看呢？
10我在父裡面，父在我裡面，你不信麼？我對你們所說的話，不是憑著自己說的，乃是住在我裡面的父做他自己的事。
信息分享
今天，基督仍然對我們發出這個呼籲：我們即使不能親眼看見祂，但仍要繼續信靠祂。基督還告訴門徒，天堂確實存在，而祂也確實會再來。基督亦期望我們繼續相信這兩個應許。我們雖看不見天堂，但基督告訴我們，天堂有許多住處，它將是信徒永久的居所。我們相信天堂的存在，因為是基督親口告訴我們的，而神的話語已一再地證明基督的應許真實。
不過，我們還盼望基督的再來，因為這也是基督給我們的應許。祂曾經許下其他的應許，祂都如實地兌現了，例如，祂說祂會在第三天從死裡復活，而祂確實在那天復活了；祂說祂要建立教會，而祂也確實辦到了。因此祂說祂要再來，我們便相信祂必定再來。倘若祂給我們三個應許，已應驗了兩個，祂豈不會兌現第三個嗎？
基督的話，正好為這班士氣低落的門徒帶來鼓舞和盼望。今天，祂的話同樣要鼓勵我們。我們雖不能親眼看見祂，仍要學習每天信靠祂。切記著，當信徒走完今生的路程，下一步便是回到天家。基督若在我們活著的時候再來，我們便可以立即與祂同在，直至永遠。還有甚麼盼望比這更值得我們嚮往呢？
反思：
只要我們專心信靠基督，我們就會發現，我們生命中無論是現在和將來的一切，都已有基督為我們精心安排。
THE CURE FOR REAL HEART TROUBLE
John 14: 1 - 10
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.
7 “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”
8 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.”
9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.
Message
That challenge to believe in him remains today. Christ is still asking us to trust him even if we cannot see him. He also spoke of the reality of heaven and the reality of his return. Here again Christ asks us to trust him. We cannot see heaven, but Christ tells us it is a real place, an abiding city, and most of all our final home. We believe in it because he said so and the Word of God constantly confirms it.
Then too, we look forward to Christ's return. Again this is because he promised it. He made other promises and he has kept them. He said he would rise again on the third day and he did. He said he would build his church and he has done that. He said he would come again and we believe he will. If he has fulfilled two out of three promises, won't he fulfil the third?
Here are the challenges and the hopes Christ held out to his discouraged disciples. They are still his words to us today. Trust him day by day even if you cannot see him. Remember heaven is at the end of believer's life. If Christ returns before we die, we will still be with him forever. What greater future could we have?
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
When our hearts are fixed on Christ, our future as well as our present is wonderfully taken care of.