In John chapter 13:33, Jesus had just told His disciples that He is going to a place where the disciples cannot go. It is near the end of His earthly ministry.

Jesus tells them that they had believed God already, now it was time for them to believe Him. He is going to give them some good news about His return.

He indicates that His Father’s house has many mansions. He must leave to make preparation for His bride (the church) to live with Him. In Bible times, it was Jewish custom that the bridegroom make a place ready he and his bride to live, and when it is ready, he will come for her.

Jesus also promises to return to take His Bride away to be with Him in glory. It is definitely a picture of the Rapture. Note that He says that where He is (in Heaven), He will receive us unto Himself.

By way of observation, the Heavenly city (described in Revelation 21) is 1,500 miles square, or 2,250,000 square miles on the first floor. There are 640 square acres in 1 square mile. If each believer received 1 acre with his or her mansion, there is room for 1,440,000,000 lots. If each person received 5 acres, there is still room for 288,000,000 5-acre lots – all on the first floor! And remember – there are 12 floors!

Are you looking for His soon return! What a glorious day it will be for those who have remained faithful to Him – that they receive a full reward (II John 1:8)!

Yesterday, I talked about how and why meditation is so necessary to receiving God’s blessing. It is also essential to the growth of the Christian. Psalm 1:3 talks about the extent of the blessing and growth to be received through meditation when it is performed daily.

The illustration of that blessing and growth is likened to a tree planted near a river. A tree in this case would have a constant supply of water, which would result in a lot of fruit.

The tree also would not lose its leaves prematurely because of the constant abundance of water. It does not need to fear drying up.

Daily meditation on God’s Word is promised to result in success in whatever you do. This success is conditioned by the doing of those things the Word says – as you learn of them.

It does not mean that God will bless all your plans – as some people suggest. Instead, it means that as you meditate daily on the Word and apply those Biblical principles, your plans will be molded to God’s plans. Only when they conform to His plans will you see success.

Do you want that kind of success? Daily meditation is the key. The joy of living a life following His plans is that there are no regrets.

The Bible is the source of truth for every Christian. It repeatedly speaks of Christ’s resurrection from the dead and then declares that He gave them many “infallible proofs” (Acts 1:3) of His resurrection during the next forty days.

Everything the Christian believes depends on the fact of the resurrection. The Bible records it accurately in each of the Gospels, with each one bearing slightly different testimony as each witness saw it. Identical accounts would point to collusion.

The text verse for today says the Bible can be believed. You trusted it for your salvation – now trust it to guide your life. The promises are yours to claim – once it is seen who they are for and any conditions that might apply. They are all there to enable believers to trust Him and to get victory.

God is looking for overcomers with His help. With God’s armor and the promises, you can do His will and run your course. Remember His promise: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13).

Before uttering these words, Jesus had once again told His disciples that He would first suffer and then be leaving them soon. Although they were saddened by the news, they did not understand it.

In the same way, we also are sometimes saddened by news and events that occur in our lives. It could be the death of a loved one, news of cancer or some other disease, world news, etc., but the truth is that Jesus’ reply to their sadness still can help today.

He told them the things in this verse so that even when they do face tribulation or persecution, or possibly even death, that they can still have inner peace in the face of it. Even more than that, He told them that it is possible you could also “be of good cheer” in those times.

In other words, you do not need to be defeated by events or circumstances, even though there may be anguish and pain involved. God wants His born-again children to be overcomers, and He gives them the grace and power to do so. Faith in His promises enables victory.

Are you utilizing His grace and power now so that – at the end of the day – you are an overcomer? If you need to, why not admit your weakness and ask Him for help right now?