The Future Changes the Present

The twenty-third Psalm begins, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want”. David is peaceful and content. He goes on to say that, because God is guiding him, he is not afraid of his enemies or even of death itself. The last line of the psalm says, “I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (verse 6). David’s vision of a future home with God made him experience his earthly home differently.

Abraham is one of the heroes of the faith listed in Hebrews 11. Here is what the writer says about him, “By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. …. He was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (verses 8-10). Abraham left his home, his family, and his earthly security because he was looking forward to a heavenly home with God.

Unless we are at a funeral, we do not hear much about heaven or eternity these days. It makes me wonder whether we have become too comfortable here. Maybe we have become so focused on how to get the most out of this life that we have forgotten to think long term.

Over the summer, Sara and I watched a show called “Race Against the Tide”. Sandcastle builders were taken to the Bay of Fundy and challenged to build the most intricate design that they could in four hours. Some of their creations were amazing! However, after four hours, the tide came in and destroyed everything. Even the best sculpture ended up being washed back into the sea.

It is worth remembering that nothing here is permanent. Thinking about our heavenly home will influence what we value and how we live every day. God’s best people lived differently because they had a different focus.

“We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18).

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