除却忧伤
约翰福音十四章1至10节
1你们心里不要忧愁；你们信神，也当信我。
2在我父的家里有许多住处；若是没有，我就早已告诉你们了。我去原是为你们预备地方去。
3我若去为你们预备了地方，就必再来接你们到我那里去，我在那里，叫你们也在那里。
4我往那里去，你们知道；那条路，你们也知道（有古卷作：我往那里去，你们知道那条路）。
5多马对他说：主阿，我们不知道你往那里去，怎么知道那条路呢？
6耶稣说我就是道路、真理、生命；若不借着我，没有人能到父那里去。
7你们若认识我，也就认识我的父。从今以后，你们认识他，并且已经看见他。
8腓力对他说：求主将父显给我们看，我们就知足了。
9耶稣对他说：腓力，我与你们同在这样长久，你还不认识我么？人看见了我，就是看见了父；你怎么说将父显给我们看呢？
10我在父里面，父在我里面，你不信么？我对你们所说的话，不是凭着自己说的，乃是住在我里面的父做他自己的事。
信息分享
今天，基督仍然对我们发出这个呼吁：我们即使不能亲眼看见祂，但仍要继续信靠祂。基督还告诉门徒，天堂确实存在，而祂也确实会再来。基督亦期望我们继续相信这两个应许。我们虽看不见天堂，但基督告诉我们，天堂有许多住处，它将是信徒永久的居所。我们相信天堂的存在，因为是基督亲口告诉我们的，而神的话语已一再地证明基督的应许真实。
不过，我们还盼望基督的再来，因为这也是基督给我们的应许。祂曾经许下其他的应许，祂都如实地兑现了，例如，祂说祂会在第三天从死里复活，而祂确实在那天复活了；祂说祂要建立教会，而祂也确实办到了。因此祂说祂要再来，我们便相信祂必定再来。倘若祂给我们三个应许，已应验了两个，祂岂不会兑现第三个吗？
基督的话，正好为这班士气低落的门徒带来鼓舞和盼望。今天，祂的话同样要鼓励我们。我们虽不能亲眼看见祂，仍要学习每天信靠祂。切记着，当信徒走完今生的路程，下一步便是回到天家。基督若在我们活着的时候再来，我们便可以立即与祂同在，直至永远。还有甚么盼望比这更值得我们向往呢？
反思：
只要我们专心信靠基督，我们就会发现，我们生命中无论是现在和将来的一切，都已有基督为我们精心安排。
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.