Jesus has just spent three amazing years with his disciples. They heard firsthand the teaching of Jesus that confounded skeptics and gave life to those that accepted His words. They witnessed the Miracles of Jesus where people were restored and nature obeyed his very words. Life with Jesus was so amazing the disciples might have wondered, how could this get any better? Then in the opening verse of John 14 Jesus tells them the best is yet to come. Now the disciples had a hard time accepting that the best was yet to come because Jesus had just told them he would be leaving them, and they were “troubled.” The disciples had become focused on what they thought Jesus would or should do at that particular time. The thought of Jesus leaving brought up emotions they were not prepared for and they were troubled. It was necessary for Jesus to suffer, die, rise to life again and return to the Father in order for them to receive the gift of Heaven: the best that is to come.
We can be like the disciples by focusing only on what we think Jesus can do for us in the here and now. And while things like His presence, peace and strengthening are amazing during this life, in the gift of Heaven we know the best is yet to come! Christians become troubled when we only focus on the circumstance of the world we live in. Do you ever have emotions you are not prepared to deal with and find yourself in a troubled state of mind? Jesus invites us to see that He and the Father can be trusted because they have a wonderful plan that concludes in Heaven, with the best that is yet to come. Join me this Sunday as we look at the promise of Jesus that the best is yet to come.