LOOK FORWARD – 14 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; 2 Peter 3:14 NKJV
8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 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.10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. Hebrews 11:8-10 NIV
Our God keeps His promises!
Hearing “well done” and receiving the prize that the Lord has in store for us will be awesome! That day is coming! The Lord promised He will return and He will. People may question, but Peter reminds us that the same word that spoke creation into being, the same word that promised the flood, is the same word that has promised a new heaven and a new earth (2 Peter 3:5-7, 13). Our God keeps His promises!
Even from the days of old, the saints of God looked forward to all that God has in store for those who love Him. They lived with great expectation, knowing that what He said would one day come to be. Today’s passage gives Abraham as an example. Abraham’s expectation of the future, motivated his present. He was looking forward to a permanent residence with his Heavenly Father and that inspired his obedience to the Lord’s leading.
Abraham, along with many others, “did not receive the things promised.” They were “living by faith when they died,” still “longing for a better country – a heavenly one” (Heb. 11:13,16 NIV). The author of Hebrews says, “Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them” (Heb. 11:16 NIV).
Are you living with expectation of things to come? Do you believe that what God has said about His coming is true? Is your belief motivating your obedience? Like we read on Day 12, where we are looking affects what we do!
Oh that God would not be ashamed to be called our God! May we take Him at His word and look forward to all that He has in store!
APPLICATION
– Praise God for the great things He has in store! Praise Him for being a God who keeps His promises. Ask Him to help you be mindful that what He said about His coming will happen. May that motivate you to obey what He’s calling you to do today.
– Pray that we as a church would be mindful of the Lord’s return. May we be faithful to obey all that He’s called us to, knowing that we will give an account one day. May we look forward to all that He has in store for us and may we do everything we can now to prepare for that day.
– Pray that through Liberty Loves Hampton Roads, Liberty Anywhere, our current campuses, and our new campuses, we would be able to share with many that the Lord will return one day. Pray that God would expand our reach and that we really would be able to have a campus within a 30-minute drive of each home in Hampton Roads. Pray that people of all ages and ethnicities will come and hear the Gospel.