Verse of the Day 3/17
Hebrews 11:16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. English Standard Version (ESV)
The other day I mentioned in a post that Isaiah 40 was one of my favorite chapters in the Bible, soaring to the heights with "they will mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." Today's verse comes from one of my favorite chapters in the New Testament, often referred to as the "Hall of Faith". The chapter begins with "faith is the substance" or assurance of things hoped for and the evidence of things to come. The verse speaks of a better country, our heavenly home, which God has prepared for us.
It is one of those verses that should cause us to stop and perhaps meditate about what this means for us. It is easy to read through this chapter about the God followers throughout the Bible who looked forward to this heavenly country, this home in hope and in faith. What really drove this home for me today was the following statement written by John Piper, "As risky as it sounds, does this not really mean God might actually be "proud" to be called my God? Maybe He would say, "not only am I not ashamed to be called your God, I am proud to be called your God." Possibly "not ashamed" might only mean "I am pleased to be called your God". But it seems that "not ashamed" is really an understatement for proud." After all, He has already prepared this city for us, this heavenly home. It is signed sealed and delivered for us, waiting for us, the price being paid for by the precious blood of Christ.
It is not by anything that we have accomplished but has been accomplished for us and we desire it. We look forward to going to the point where here and now we can say, "come Lord Jesus, come! Nothing here, no future joys here, can compare to what we will experience there. If we can say that, I believe that "God is not ashamed" God is proud to be called our God.
As I was getting our son Jeff up this morning we had the radio on and the following song was playing. The Lion of Judah is coming and no one can stop Him.
He's roaring with power and fighting our battles
And every knee will bow before You
Our God is the Lamb, the Lamb that was slain
For the sin of the world, His blood breaks the chains
And every knee will bow before the Lion and the Lamb
Oh every knee will bow before the Lion and the Lamb
Our God who calls the saved is here to set the captives free
Who can stop the Lord Almighty? (Big Daddy Weave)
Read the passage from The Message below. Meditate on it for a few minutes or perhaps throughout the weekend.
-- In Christ, Mike Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace. NIV
Hebrews 11:13-16 The Message (MSG)
13-16 Each one of these people of faith died not yet having in hand what was promised, but still believing. How did they do it? They saw it way off in the distance, waved their greeting, and accepted the fact that they were transients in this world. People who live this way make it plain that they are looking for their true home. If they were homesick for the old country, they could have gone back any time they wanted. But they were after a far better country than that—heavencountry. You can see why God is so proud of them, and has a City waiting for them.
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