40 Days of Faith: Day 8

Hebrews 11:10 – For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.

Do you live in light of eternity? Our faith in Jesus invites us to live, not for this age, but for the age to come. In other words, our motivation is not for what we can receive in this life, but for the life to come.

We see this invitation when Jesus encourages us to lay up treasure in heaven with our resources (Matthew 6:19-21). We see this invitation when the Apostle Paul speaks of building on the foundation that has been laid and the judgment of our lives where we receive our heavenly rewards (1 Corinthians 3:10-15). We are in awe of the Apostle John’s explanation of the holy city Jerusalem that came down from heaven, in Revelation 21:9-27. Here is a portion of that passage.

9 Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, 11 having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed— 13 on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. 14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

I have chosen this portion to make a connection. Hebrews 11:10 speaks of the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. Abraham must have understood that this city would be where he would see and then meet the fullness of his offspring.

As I write this day’s reading, I am sitting under a tree at a restaurant in Pretoria, South Africa. With my Bible open and my fingers upon my laptop, one gentleman stopped to speak to me. He is an older believer who stopped to introduce himself to me, saying, “Seeing your Bible open, I just had to stop and speak to you.” I introduced myself as a pastor from Houston, Texas, and we had a brief conversation before he had to leave.
Immediately after this, a gentleman a few tables away who heard our exchange, got up from his table and came to sit down at mine. He said, “I heard you were a pastor…” He works for the Brazilian embassy here. He, too, is a believer, and he introduced me to his little girl, Isabel.

Three men, from three countries, at the same restaurant with the same Lord. All of us blessed because of God’s call upon Abraham, and Abraham’s obedience. I wonder if we will all see each other one day in heaven together and recall our encounter at the Bakehouse restaurant.

Abraham saw the city with foundations. Notice in the text above, there are 12 gates with the names of his great grandsons, the 12 tribes of Israel. But then, beyond his great grandsons, there were 12 foundations with the names of the 12 apostles. These men were the ones who carried the great commission of Jesus to go to all the nations of the world, and through their message, there would be a great ingathering of people from every nation tribe and tongue.

Abraham looked forward to that city and that day, as it says in Hebrews 11:13, “These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.”

Abraham, in faith, saw what God had prepared for him and his offspring. What do you see? Do you see beyond this life into eternity? Do you see the potential you have in leading your entire family to spend eternity together and with Jesus? Do you see the people around you who need to know about this coming city and their invitation to enter it as well? Do you live in light of eternity? If you don’t yet see and live this way, ask God to show you what it means for you to walk by a faith that lives in light of eternity.

Abraham’s faith was anchored not in tents, land, or earthly security, but in the eternal city God Himself was building. He lived as a stranger here because his eyes were fixed on his true home. That same promise is ours in Christ. One day we will walk through those gates of pearl and stand in the presence of Jesus. Until then, we are called to live as people who know this world is not our home. Today, lift your eyes from the temporary to the eternal. Let the vision of God’s greater city shape how you love, give, and lead. Ask Him to align your daily choices with the reality of your heavenly citizenship.

Prayer:
Father, thank You for preparing a city with foundations that can never be shaken. Forgive me for the times I’ve lived as though this world were all there is. Teach me to see beyond what is temporary and to fix my eyes on what is eternal. Help me lead my family and influence others with a vision of Your heavenly kingdom, so that we might walk together in faith toward the better home You have promised. In Jesus’ name, Amen.