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Devotions

By Faith

Hebrews 11:8-10:
“By faith, Abraham when called to go to a place he would later receive as an inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.”

God called Abraham to leave his country, his relatives, and his father’s house. Following God’s leading, he settled in the land of Canaan. Genesis 13 tells us God made Abraham a rich man in livestock, silver and gold. As wealthy as he became, Abraham never built a home but instead moved around from place to place staying in a tent.

A tent? How long have you lived in a tent? When you went camping, you probably stayed in a tent for a couple of nights or maybe a week or two at the most. Abraham lived in a tent his whole life. He never had a place to call home here on earth.

Even though God richly blessed Abraham in the promised land, he remained a foreigner there. By faith, Abraham understood and believed that God had something even better than the promised land of Canaan in store for him.

Doesn’t God work that way with us as well? He calls us to follow Him to places and experiences we would never have expected in life. He supplies us with all that we need and more. No matter where we live, we know it is only temporary. We are living in tents, too. We are looking forward, like Abraham did, to a city that has “foundations,” to something lasting and permanent.

Like Abraham, God calls us at different times to go places and experience life in ways that are a real surprise. Like Abraham, we know that in this life we are just camping for a while. Like Abraham, we look forward to the best surprise of all. We are looking forward to new heavens and a new earth; the promised land where we will see Jesus and will never leave.

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for preparing a place for me in heaven that is permanent. Help me to keep my eyes always fixed on Jesus. Amen.