John 16:33 - I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

In the world, we do have trouble. A lot of it.

But Jesus said some things so that we have His peace. The Lord gave us some tremendous resources to get us through a hard world. The first one we looked at was “People to Count On”.

Secondly, Jesus has given us THE PROSPECT OF THINGS TO COME.

John 14:2-3 - In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

I love the book of Ecclesiastes. Here is the short version: life is hard, life is empty, life is meaningless, life is short, life isn’t fair. But that’s only an earth-side view of life, only looking at what is “under the sun”. When the Lord is brought into the equation, life has meaning. Deep, rich meaning. But without the Lord, life is a tragedy, then you die.

Some people, might I suggest most people in the world, live as if this is all there is. Life under the sun, here and now. This is it. Nothing to look forward to. We live a hard life, then we die. Pointless. Just do whatever the heck you want while you are here, just try to be happy whatever the cost, because our existence is a joke, life is meaningless.

So here is some good news: Jesus Christ gives us the prospect of things to come! This is not the end, in fact, this life is just the beginning! We have the privilege of being the beneficiary of the Lord’s redemptive grace now, but being in His presence for eternity.

If I asked you if I could bite your arm, you wouldn’t go for it. That hurts, right? But if I told you if you let me bite your arm, I would give you a brand new car, you would roll your sleeve up and shove your arm in my mouth. It still hurts, but what changed the attitude...? The knowledge that something bigand great comes afterwards. Amazing how much less painful things can seem if we have the big picture in mind.

Eyes to the sky. Life can be hard, but Jesus promised the best is yet to come. He is preparing your place right now. And He is going to escort you there someday.

We have peace, knowing the day will come when all pain, heartache, disappointment, and hurt will forever be a thing of the past.

p.s. - is not going to bite you