We must know how to get into His presence and simply be found in Christ. This week’s devotional will encourage us to keep moving forward in faith, by saturating ourselves in His Word. Whatever troubles you may be going through this week, keep putting your trust in the Lord. In John 14:1-3, Jesus gives us five instructions to trust Him, and “not let your hearts be troubled.” Hear Him! And then, no changing the channel. He is “the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6).   

1.  “You believe in God; believe also in me”

On Sunday, 8 April 1945, Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer conducted a service of worship in a little prison in Germany amidst the Second World War, under the threat of Christian persecution. He spoke to his congregants in a way that went to the heart of all attending. He found just the right words to express the spirit of their imprisonment, the thoughts, and the resolutions it had brought them. He had hardly ended his last prayer when the door opened, and two guards entered. They said, “Prisoner Bonhoeffer, come with us.” That had only one meaning for all prisoners – the gallows. The next day, he was hanged in Flossenburg. His last words: “This is the end, but for me it is the beginning of life.” Such is a faith in Christ’s sacrifice that we too must emulate. The way gets narrower, the more we grow and know our Lord Jesus.

2.  “My Father’s house has many rooms”

Here, Jesus is saying we can trust Him to believe in our Heavenly Father to know and bear our pains. Jesus is promising that our hearts will not be orphaned. Our hearts can find a home with our Abba God. We can stay focused on storing up treasures in heaven where “moth and rust do not destroy”, and where “thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:20).   

3.  “I will come back”

Christ is returning for us, and that is our reality as followers of Christ. Our end is not found in achieving financial freedom, social status, educational goals, or career aspirations. These can all be various means to glorifying God with our accomplishments, but brothers and sisters, we must guard against our own narrow ambitions of what our earthly lives ought to be. If you are doing things for yourself, even though you say it is for God; if you fail to glorify God in word, deed, and song; and if what you are doing for Him, you are doing to be seen, then you have your reward. That is all. Apostle Paul explains that, when Christ returns, “If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work” (1 Cor 3:12-13). We must keep preparing our lives ready for His return, yielding to how He desires to purify and transform us as individuals and as a church.

4.  “Take you to be with me”

Christ has invited us for a Great Reunion Gathering for those who believe in Christ and who have persevered until the end. And this Reunion includes a Grand Wedding Reception. Revelations 19:7 says, “Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready.” Lighthouse Evangelism is not just a physical building in Tampines or Woodlands. We are a church with a destiny to “shake the nations for Christ” and to be made ready at the end as the Bride of Christ to give Him glory! Be expectant of His Return, turning Godward with the rest of the Bridal Company of Christ in purity, intimacy, and obedience to the Lamb.

5.  “You also may be where I am”

Is anything troubling you today? Wherever you are, whatever your situation is, the Lord wants to help you with the burden. In Christ, you do not have to shoulder your troubles alone. Offer your troubles in complete abandonment to God. Make room for God to speak and get your heart ready to worship Him in the rest of your week. In the love of Christ, you can pray, “Lord, I choose you.”