Sunday, August 17, 2008

I Go To Prepare A Place For You

Free Real Estate, No Money Down

How would you like to have a luxurious mansion with sweeping vistas, great neighbors, and perfect weather? Even more so, how would you like to be given this mansion free of charge? Believe it or not, such an offer is on the table right now, and it can be yours for a limited time only.

If you’ve ever dreamed of having greater wealth than any person on earth, then you’ve come to the right place. Keep on reading, and you’ll learn the details of the greatest real estate deal in human history.

It’s the offer of a lifetime. Free real estate with no money down, and you don’t even have to pre-qualify or meet any net worth requirements. You don’t need to be part of an exclusive fraternity or an alumnus of an elite college or university. However, there is one catch – you do need to be well connected. In order to close this once in a lifetime deal, you must have an intimate and personal relationship with the man who’s offering it.

The Offer

By now, most of you are skeptical. Nothing’s free, right? But I assure you, this is not a pyramid scheme or a late-night infomercial scam. This offer comes from the most trustworthy person in the entire universe – Jesus of Nazareth. You might better know Him by the name of Jesus Christ.

If you’ve spent most of your life chasing after the pleasures and luxuries of this world, then I ask you to take a moment of your time and consider the following offer from Jesus. After all, it’s a pretty sweet deal. He’s offering you a life of abundant wealth in a luxurious mansion with amenities beyond your wildest dreams, and best of all, the wealth He offers lasts forever!

But don’t take my word for it, this is what Jesus says:

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 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. And 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. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.” John 14:1-4 (KJV)

What is this place that Jesus has prepared for those who trust in Him? And what does it look like? Luckily, the Book of Revelation describes it in detail:

And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” Revelation 21:10-14 (KJV)

Chapters 21 and 22 of the Book of Revelation provide an in-depth description of the place Christ is preparing for His followers, a place which includes the very presence of God Himself:

And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.” Revelation 22:3-5 (KJV)

To all who wish to live in such a place and consume the water of life, the Lord Jesus Christ issues a freely issues this invitation:

And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” Revelation 22:17 (KJV)

The glory of what Christ offers is beyond comprehension, and the Return on Investment you’ll receive if you accept His offer is truly astronomical. Just take a moment to consider the terms of His offer. The real estate component alone makes it the best deal you’ll ever encounter – a luxurious mansion never in need of repair where God is your neighbor and you live forever while never growing hungry or thirsty for anything He can’t readily provide.

Such a place is invaluable. There’s no way to put a value on it, because there are no comparables. This is a neighborhood completely unique unto itself, a truly one of a kind place, and anyone would be a fool to turn down a sweetheart deal like this one.

In fact, this real estate is so valuable, you should be willing to give up everything in order to make certain you close the deal.

Nothing is More Valuable

According to Jesus, nothing is of greater value than the Kingdom of Heaven. You should be more than willing to give up everything you have in order to devote the rest of your life to obtaining it:

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.” Matthew 13:44 (KJV)

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.Matthew 13:45-46 (KJV)

The Kingdom of Heaven is so valuable, you should forsake everything else in an effort to obtain it. For people of great wealth and high position in this world, an enormous amount of faith and self-discipline is required in order to exhibit a willingness to trade everything in this world for the reward that Christ offers. But the payoff is immense. That’s why Jesus warned us of the dangers presented by love of money and the material and physical pleasures of this world.

The Things Of This World

Because of the pitfalls associated with this world, the followers of Jesus must be careful not to allow their thoughts and ambitions to become captive to the things of this world. The danger inherent in pursuing the wealth of this world lies in a lack of ambition to produce fruit for Christ:

He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.” Matthew 13:22 (KJV)

We see this danger firsthand in the Gospel of Matthew, when a rich man expresses His desire to follow Christ:

Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.” Matthew 19:21-22 (KJV)

Despite his apparent willingness to follow Christ, and his acceptance of the words and deeds of Jesus as truth, the rich man is unwilling to accept Christ’s deal. He is consciously unwilling to trade His earthly wealth for treasure in heaven. As a result, He can never be a follower of Christ, because a person cannot serve two masters:

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” Matthew 6:24 (KJV)

The man in question could’ve experienced wealth beyond his wildest imagination. Unfortunately, because of his love for this world, he willingly traded the finest of pearls for a pile of ashes; He traded his buried treasure for a pile of counterfeit coins. Don’t make the same mistake!

Would you place millions of dollars under a mattress instead of inside a bank? Of course not! The danger of fire or theft is too great. Why then, should you treat your heavenly treasures any differently? Too many people spend their lives hoarding earthly wealth, while their heavenly treasures go unclaimed:

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Matthew 6:19-21 (KJV)

Hoarding earthly treasures is utterly foolish. Christ tells us so:

And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:16-21 (KJV)

What good is all the wealth in this world, if to attain it, you have to forfeit your soul? Don’t be foolish. A deep and intimate relationship with the Creator and Master of the Universe is far more rewarding than the fleeting comforts of this world.

Closing The Deal

So now that we’ve established what really matters, how does one go about closing the deal of a lifetime?

To properly close the deal requires humility:

Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5 (KJV)

Why is humility required? Because to accept Christ’s offer, one must acknowledge His glory. Obtaining the Kingdom of God independently is simply not an option. It’s impossible. Only one person can open the door to the Kingdom of Heaven – Jesus Christ:

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6 (KJV)

To those who are willing to humble themselves and accept Christ’s sacrifice on the cross as payment for their sins, a Kingdom awaits – built on the foundation of Christ’s glory:

Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.” Matthew 25:34-36 (KJV)

The Kingdom of Heaven is yours to inherit. It’s already yours if you simply lay claim to it, so don’t be worried when the world mocks you as foolish for accepting it. To such people, the things of this world are perceived as valuable, while the rewards of Christ are perceived as worthless. Don’t worry about what such people say. Instead, pray for them. For at one time, we were all as foolish as they are. Pray they recognize the value of true treasure, to the very point of sacrificing their lives in order to obtain it:

Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” Matthew 5:11-12 (KJV)

Don’t let their ridicule divert your focus, for you have full knowledge of the reward which is just around the corner:

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:10 (KJV)

Remember, our Lord Jesus Christ was Himself persecuted by this world. What, then, makes us think we will encounter anything less?

But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:25-28 (KJV)

Follow the example of Jesus and serve others. If you do, even the smallest act will be acknowledged by our Lord:

And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.” Matthew 10:42 (KJV)

So don’t worry when others call you foolish. Instead, trust with absolute faith that Jesus Christ will make good on His promise to reward you. The return you will receive from serving Him is far greater than any financial return the world can offer:

And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life. But many that are first shall be last; and the last first.” Mark 10:29-31 (KJV)

Despite what the world may tell you, you lose nothing of real value by following Christ. In fact, it’s just the opposite – you gain everything!

It’s the deal of a lifetime, and all you have to do is accept it. If you haven’t taken advantage of Christ’s offer, I strongly encourage you to do so today. Like all great deals, it’s available for a limited time only. Once your life is over, the deal is no longer on the table. Right now, it’s available free of charge to as many people as are willing to accept it. It could all be yours – an opulent mansion with great neighbors. A personal relationship with God Almighty. Eternal life. Wealth beyond belief. It’s yours for the taking because Christ gave His life. Only a fool would turn down such a sweetheart deal. Don’t be a fool.

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.1 Corinthians 2:9 (KJV)

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 (KJV)

Britt Gillette is founder of BrittGillette.Com, a website examining the relationship between bible prophecy and emerging trends in technology. For more information or to sign up for his email alerts, please visit http://www.brittgillette.com/.

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1 comment:

Alf Cengia said...

Works for me. Sign me up!