Show Notes
READ: MATTHEW 6:19-21; JOHN 3:16-17; 14:1-4; REVELATION 19:6-9; 21:1-5
Do you like to host parties? Back when I worked in youth ministry, I used to host gatherings at my house frequently. I would spend a day or more preparing—picking my menu, cleaning the house, and writing a lesson with my co-leader. I would set out blankets and pillows. I would get the space heater going and light a candle. All of this to ensure that when my guests came over, they would feel welcome, loved, at home.
Did you know that Jesus is doing the same thing for you? Scripture tells us that Jesus is preparing a place for us right now!
However, while my guests would come and go, Jesus is inviting you to stay forever. And though all I did was prepare for a day or so, Jesus literally came to earth as a human baby, lived thirty-three years, and then died on the cross for your sins and rose from the grave to defeat death—all to make the way for you to be with Him forever.
While we don’t know a whole lot about what the new heavens and the new earth will be like, we do know some things. We know there will be no more crying, and nothing will fade there. We know there will be a great feast. One of the best things about parties and gatherings is the people who are there. It’s not like we enter eternity by ourselves—we’ll be together with Jesus and with all our fellow believers! Sounds pretty great, right? But I think the biggest thing is that we know we are wanted there. This is one place you’ll never have to question if you’re invited or if you’ll feel comfortable. Jesus is preparing a place for me and for you. Want to go with me? • Natty Maelle
• Have you ever been somewhere you didn’t feel welcome, wanted, or maybe even safe? How does it make you feel knowing that Jesus is inviting you somewhere you will feel all of those things and more?
[Jesus said,] “My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” John 14:2-3 (NIV)
More from Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens
READ: PSALM 139:1-4; ROMANS 5:6-8; 2 CORINTHIANS 5:17 We curate the caption and crop the distraction, Chasing the applause of a virtual reaction. We polish the exterior to hide the interior, Afraid that our true selves are somehow inferior. But in the quiet, when the screen goes black, We feel the heavy weight of the perfection we lack. See, Jesus didn’t come for your highlight reel, He came for the brokenness you try to conceal. No filter could cover the crimson cost of sin, So He opened His arms to let the rebels in. On the cross, He was exposed, stripped, and bruised, So the real you would never have to be refused. He was buried in the dark so you could walk in the light, Tearing the veil to make your future bright. The grave couldn’t hold Him, the stone rolled away, Giving you mercy that is new every day. You are not a brand, a post, or a trend, You are chosen, beloved, and called His friend. So drop the performance, let the pretense cease, And rest in the rhythm of His perfect peace. • Ty Scott King • Why do you think it’s sometimes easier to show people a curated version of ourselves rather than who we really are? What parts of yourself do you try to curate, edit, and hide away? • Jesus sees the unedited version of you, and He loves you so much that He died and rose again for you. How could this truth affect the way yo view your mistakes, flaws, or things you just don’t like about yourself? • Are there any areas of your life where you feel like you’re putting on a performance instead of trusting God’s grace? Consider spending some time in prayer, laying these things down at Jesus’s feet and asking Him to help you see yourself the way He sees you. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)