“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth” (Heb 11:13).
The promises referred to here were the promise of Christ and the blessings or merits of Calvary. The Old Testament saints only could see them far away by faith; but what an influence those promises had on them! They all lived confessing that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth and died in faith. If so, how much more diligent we who have received the promises should be, to live as strangers and pilgrims on the earth!
Although Abraham was a very rich man, he lived in tents and taught the tent life (faith life) to his children and grandchildren. Why? He had a revelation of a city which had foundations and whose builder and maker is God (Heb 11:10). Obviously , that city is New Jesusalem, the city of jasper. Abraham was not called to live in the city of New Jerusalem, but when he received a revelation of the city, he was able to leave his country and his kith and kin in his old age, and live in tents.
If we have faith we will die daily; dying is gain, as St. Paul says!
If by faith, we can see the glorious promises of the resurrected body and of New Jerusalem and Zion, what a difference it will make to our lifestyle! How easily we’ll give up many unnecessary things that clutter our lives! How many things we’ll see as ‘loss’ rather than ‘gain’! How many things we’ll throw away calling them ‘dung’! How differently we would value the things we now look upon as ‘dear’ and ‘precious’!
May the Lord help us to live in faith and die in faith – in case the Lord tarries.
The promises referred to here were the promise of Christ and the blessings or merits of Calvary. The Old Testament saints only could see them far away by faith; but what an influence those promises had on them! They all lived confessing that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth and died in faith. If so, how much more diligent we who have received the promises should be, to live as strangers and pilgrims on the earth!
Although Abraham was a very rich man, he lived in tents and taught the tent life (faith life) to his children and grandchildren. Why? He had a revelation of a city which had foundations and whose builder and maker is God (Heb 11:10). Obviously , that city is New Jesusalem, the city of jasper. Abraham was not called to live in the city of New Jerusalem, but when he received a revelation of the city, he was able to leave his country and his kith and kin in his old age, and live in tents.
If we have faith we will die daily; dying is gain, as St. Paul says!
If by faith, we can see the glorious promises of the resurrected body and of New Jerusalem and Zion, what a difference it will make to our lifestyle! How easily we’ll give up many unnecessary things that clutter our lives! How many things we’ll see as ‘loss’ rather than ‘gain’! How many things we’ll throw away calling them ‘dung’! How differently we would value the things we now look upon as ‘dear’ and ‘precious’!
May the Lord help us to live in faith and die in faith – in case the Lord tarries.
– Taken from Morning Manna – Thoughts for Daily Devotion
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