I WILL COME BACK FOR YOU

John 14:1-18
1 Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me. 2 In My Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 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. . . . 15 If you love Me, you will obey what I command. 16 And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever--17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

In 1914, Ernest Shackleton led an expedition to sail to Antarctica and cross it on foot. His team had acquired The Endurance, a ship made up of exceptionally hard wood designed to break through ice. At first the expedition went well and according to plan. But the ice-pressures on the hull proved too great and soon the wooden frame of the ship was crushed to pieces.

Shackleton chose a small rescue party to go for help. Promising that they would return, the captain and his crew set out on an 800-mile journey in a small boat over perilous seas to the whaling port of South Georgia Island. Amazingly, with only a sextant to guide them and only infrequently visible skies, the crew reached the island.

Shackleton then led his men on a mountain climbing expedition to reach the port on the other side of the island. He ordered his men not to rest, for fear they would freeze to death in the snow. Once they reached their destination, Shackleton got another ship and headed back to those who were waiting. To the joy of the marooned expedition, their leader had kept his word and not one man was left behind.

Two thousand years ago, Jesus of Nazareth was preparing to leave His disciples and they were in desperate need of reassurance. He said, "I am going [to heaven] 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).

Jesus would endure the horrors of the cross and death. But through His ultimate sacrifice and resurrection, He provided the way for those who believe in Him to be saved and receive eternal life.

Are you feeling lonely and forsaken? Take heart. Jesus, the captain of our salvation, is true to His word (Hebrews 2:10). He has promised, "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you" (John 14:18). --Dennis Fisher

DESTINATION POINTS

* When have I felt lonely and isolated?
* What hope does Jesus' promise give me? (John 14:1-3,18).
* How should I thank Him for the spiritual rescue He has provided for me?

LINKS:
Shackleton's Voyage of Endurance
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/shackleton/1914/

Lonely But Never Alone
http://www.discoveryseries.org/hp911

bottom line: Jesus promised to come back for us!

soul journey