"Wish You Didn't Have To Leave!"

We have been there. That visit with dear friends or family and you hear the words, "I wish you didn't have to leave!" I can recall certain times when those words were not just words, but spoken in sincerity and my heart wanted to stay. (Resa tells me that when I go away on my trips and I do not like leaving her!) I felt the pain of leaving. You probably can recall some of those instances too. The words warm the heart!

Could you ever imagine how you would feel if you had visited with Jesus Christ while on earth and when you were about to leave His presence, He said, "I wish you didn't have to leave!" I am not sure what I would do, do you?

"Do not let your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for i go to prepare a place for you. 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 14:1-3) I have heard every one's input about what these words mean and some have even tried to 'spin' them but let me say this and reach for a little nugget from the words of Jesus to His own disciples. Let's combine the words of Jesus with the text of I Thes. 4:17, "...and so we shall always be with the Lord." Read the words from the lips of Jesus carefully. Listen to the assurance and astonishing promise. Can you hear Him? Did you receive what He was saying? Jesus wants His disciples around and was going to make the necessary arrangements for them. Combined with I Thes. 4:17, He wants to have us around....FOREVER!

I know sometimes people probably wish we would leave! People, for whatever reason, just wish you would go away and leave them alone. We look at our flaws, looking back at our history and we remember we have hurt people so deeply that they wish we were gone....FOREVER! Sometimes people dislike us for no reason and other times we have brought on our own disliking because of our actions. In view of our failures and deep hurts we have caused our Lord, isn't it rather stunning that He wants us to be around....FOREVER?

What do we learn? Christ's love for us is a redeeming and transforming love. It is a love beyond our thinking that He has no plans to send us away, to disown us when we walk in our stupidity and sinfulness. He will discipline us when we need it (Heb. 12) but He knows we can bear it as it is for our good. (I'm not speaking to the hard-hearted and unrepentant!) However He deals with each of us, it is always with one thought in mind, "I don't want to you to go away! I want to have you around....FOREVER!"

Listen to His voice. He wants us to stay! Never doubt your Lord and Savior. We might become arrogant and our actions are not lovely. We throw our filth out not caring who it bothers or hurts. Why we might become so hard and brazen that we don't care if we end up in hell! (That was hard to write!!) But it is true in our ungodliness. And all the while we walk disdainfully against our Lord, He gently, humbly and sincerely speaks...."I wish you didn't have to leave!"

That should soften the heart.