Guest blogger: Joe Barone - I prepare a place for you

“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 to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” (John 14:2-3, NKJV)

At the conclusion of the Last Supper, Jesus spoke the above words to his disciples. It’s a message of hope and the assurance that believers in Jesus can look forward to a place being prepared, for them, in God’s house, a heavenly dwelling for eternity.

The New King James Version translates the ancient Greek word monḗ to read “mansions.” Examples of similar words are castles, estates, villas, palaces, dwelling places, houses, abodes, and stately homes. When I think of mansions awaiting me in heaven, I’m overwhelmed.  I’m also in awe of Jesus preparing a place for me in eternity with Him, the one who receives me to Himself.

I don’t know what your idea of a mansion is, but to me it’s a much bigger dwelling than I need, more expensive than I could afford, and so big I’d get lost in it. I’d be quite content with a simple abode. But Jesus goes beyond what we can ever imagine. The places he prepares for me, and you, are filled with His profound love as well as the glory and majesty of His presence. What a blessing and privilege to be welcomed into the dwelling place, the mansion, He prepares for us.

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own (1 Corinthians 6:19).

In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, the word ναός, in Koine Greek, translates to temple.  Similar words in English are sanctuary or holy place. As believers who have been saved by Jesus, we are gifted the Holy Spirit, God in us, to glorify Jesus Christ and guide us in living a life pleasing to God. Our bodies are considered a dwelling place or temple for God's Holy Spirit. We belong to God. We are not a creation unto ourselves. The sacredness of our being a house or home for the Holy Spirit emphasizes the importance of making this “temple” a respectful and reverent one.

If Jesus, so lovingly and generously, promises to prepare an eternal place for me in one of God’s many mansions, I thought that I should consider preparing a place for Him. How do I make this broken, fallen body of mine a respectable place for the Holy Spirit to take residence in? Being repentant is a good place to begin. Clean up my act, so to speak. Being prayerful, diligent and dedicated to removing those deep-seated strongholds that exist in my life. Things such as greed, envy, lust, bitterness, jealousy, and anger just to name a few.

Knowing there is a heavenly mansion waiting for me, and knowing Jesus is preparing that place for me, and knowing that Jesus will come again to receive me unto Himself, I want to properly prepare the “temple” that I am, for Him.