Scripture

But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

Observation

By faith Abraham obeyed God and went to another land. He was looking forward to a city designed and built by God.

By faith Sarah was able to conceive and bear a child. She believed that God would keep His promises.

They died still believing the promise, even though they did not receive it. They saw it at a distance. They were looking for a heavenly homeland which God had prepared for them.

Application

Faith is the quality that enables us to see that God is greater than our circumstances. At its heart is the conviction that there is a better place, a heavenly homeland.

God has prepared a place for us. This is not just heaven in the afterlife, but a destiny in this life which we perceive as heavenly because God is in this place.

When we pour out our lives serving God according to His command, then we are in that heavely homeland, enjoying the grace and presence of God.

Faith is practical because it directs our movement and our actions.

When we live in this pattern of faith and obedience, God meets us as He welcomes us as co-workers in His plan of redemption. He is not ashamed to be our God, and He has prepared a city for us.

Prayer

Father God, you are with me as long as I choose to be with you. Thank you for your presence in this life and for that city yet to come. Amen.