sokin's devotional 64 - looking ahead towards glory in our real home

Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and new earth, the home of righteousness. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with Him.
2 Peter 3:11-14

"We are all strangers in a strange land, longing for home, but not quite knowing what or where home is. We glimpse it sometimes in our dreams, or as we turn a corner, and suddenly there is a strange, sweet familiarity that vanishes almost as soon as it comes…"

Madeleine L'Engle

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Believers, be encouraged this day. We, who live in the muck and the mire of this world, with it's brokenness and our souls and bodies crying out for redemption and glory - we are not free from the troubles of this lifetime.

Yet we have a hope and glory which we can look forward to with certainty and assurance. We have a hope set in stone because of Christ, of a new heaven and a new earth that will be our "home of righteousness."

While we are here on earth, we may have some semblance of being home but the truth is is that we are not quite there yet. Our bodies were made in the image of the eternal God, and the original place of our hearts was meant to be with Him. 

There will come a day believer when our broken bodies and our aching emotions will be redeemed by the furious, all-surpassing love of the Father for all eternity!

Until that day, brothers and sisters, this knowledge of a future glory must compel us to live radically and purposefully. We must "make every effort to be found spotless, blameless, and at peace" with God as we do our best to shine brightly the light of Christ to those that do not know Him. 

We must, for those that are aching for a hope and a future but do not know the Son, boldly live in such a way that will point and direct sinner's hearts back home to the Father.

We must turn hearts back home.