Where do we think we're going? (Part 2)

As Christ followers mature in their faith they find they aren't satisfied with where they're at and they begin to focus on where they are going.  Part of being a mature Christian involves seeing something that most people never see and setting your heart on it.  Most of us will not see it with our eyes in this life but we can, and we must, see it with our hearts.  Once we've seen it will never be the same again. 

In Hebrews 11 we read that Abraham "lived as a alien in the land of promise … for he was looking for the city … whose architect and builder is God."  (vs. 9, 10)  We don't know exactly how or when it happened, but Abraham got some kind of a glimpse, some kind of a vision, and after that he was never completely satisfied with life on this planet and he was never completely at home here.  He knew there was a heavenly city.  He knew he was going to live there someday.  And that dream became the focus of His life.  This was in spite of the fact that Abraham was unbelievably wealthy by the standards of his time.  Abraham could buy anything he wanted.  For that matter, he could afford to buy a dozen of anything he wanted.  But somehow Abraham caught a glimpse of what was coming and after he had that vision nothing on earth could ever truly satisfy him again.

That same passage speaks of the people of God "seeking a country of their own."  "They desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one."  (Hebrews 11:14)  So they journey on serenely, confident that God "has prepared a city for them."  (v. 16)  It is a perfect place full of perfected people.  Everyone who meets you loves you with a perfect love.  Everyone you meet will become your new best friend.  Every human interaction will be marked by kindness, consideration, and respect.

And the presence of God will be manifested in that place.  You will be able to go into the actual presence of God and gaze on Him.  He is the source of all beauty and all joy.  In His presence you will experience an overflowing joy so intense that it would overwhelm and burn out the body you are living in right now.  But in that place you will be able to experience God's love and joy like powerful drugs that will lift you into ecstasy beyond your comprehension without doing you the slightest bit of harm.

I have a friend who recently lost her father.  This is a tough time for her because her mother is also terminally ill.  But she managed to get some relief because God showed her something.  It only lasted for a moment, but she saw her dad in perfect health, just radiant and vibrant with life, walking up to the gates of that city that is now his home.

We're never going to understand life until we get some kind of a glimpse of life's goal.  This isn't something you can see with your physical eyes; it is something that God alone can reveal to the eyes of your heart.  Abraham saw something and it changed him.  It is my prayer that each of you, my dear readers, will see something, if only for a moment, that will change you for the rest of your life.