Hebrews
Hebrews 9:28Hebrews 11:16
“as it is, they desire a better country, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city”Hebrews 12:22
“but you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem”Christ is going to return to save those that belong to him… taking them home to heaven to be with him in eternity.
As I read through Hebrews and see this truth I cannot help but rejoice that I get to go home with Jesus. This week has been a rough one, good but challenging as God has been humbling me of my pride and arrogance, showing me my weaknesses yet also opening my eyes up to who Christ really is and who I am because of it. He is showing me that my identity is solely found as a sinner saved by grace… nothing more than a sinner… but also nothing less than God’s beloved son through Christ’s gracious gift of redemption. As I press into Christ I cannot help but be swept up in simply wanting to be with Jesus in heaven. This comes in two parts though… one being unhealthy and the other being what he truly desires us to be captivated by. The unhealthy aspect of my wanting to be with Jesus is that I am simply tired of this world and the rat race that it is… growing depressed in my infirmity and the tension as I see what the world values and fail to see strength in it. What I see as a good thing, what I am truly thankful for though… is that the Holy Spirit is putting this in me to desire the things of God much more than the things of the world. Yeah, I want what Jesus has so much more than the things that are found here. I want what he has for me, and I sure as heck am not going to settle for less anymore. The American dream, the toys, the deception of what success is supposed to look like, financial freedom… these things are growing less and less attractive to me while Christ grows so much more appealing. As I see who Christ is the things of the world literally grow less and less powerful, strangely being dimmed by the reality of the life he offers. Yeah, for this I am eternally grateful. When I see this truth then I cannot help but rejoice… my heart being broken to know full well that someday I will be with Christ in paradise… free of this fallen world for eternity. This is peace for me… this is rest… this is a hope that indeed I will not let go of… this is what Christ’s promise is.
In realizing though that this is the case I also see an imperative in my life to endure the circumstances of today looking forward to the hope I have in Christ… this hope of eternal security and joy. In no way does it honor Christ for me to simply bury my head in a pillow like a baby wanting my way… even if what I desire is to be home with him. To honor Christ I must now get after it… laying aside the things of the world to do God’s work. In my prayer times I find myself thanking Christ for who he is and then realizing that I want what he wants now. He has given so much… my hope, my true desire is absolutely secure… now what does he want for me here and now? I must now see the freedom that he has given me to pour my life out for others that somehow and someway through me they would see that Christ has given them this hope too if they would just believe it. This I can do while I am here now, for it is no small thing to rejoice now in the reality of who Christ is… not only for me but for all peoples who would simply humble themselves to receive this free gift. Yeah, I don’t know how this will work but I am excited to suck it up in light of the hope I have in Christ. I must be diligent to seek what Christ has for me. To practically apply this I have decided to commit every morning to having prayer time before breakfast to simply reflect on who Christ is and seek what he desires. Yeah, it’s been fun already and I am excited to continue seeking him out… desperately longing to be home and resting in the reality that I will be someday.
(The picture is of some bison out in wide open land. It was neat to see them while driving around the area. This is what it looks like here in Montana now that the snow has hit...)
