By faith he [Abraham] went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. Hebrews 11:9
What will a life of faith and obedience mean for you? What will it cost? Jesus says, “Follow me.” But when you step out in faith and obedience, you don’t know where He will lead you.
When Abraham stepped out in faith and traveled to the Promised Land, he found it already occupied. God’s people had to wait another 500 years for the land. It was after Abraham, after Isaac, after Jacob, after Joseph and his brothers, after 400 years in Egypt, and after the death of Moses that God gave the Promised Land to Abraham’s descendants.
Abraham spent his entire life living on a promise. One day God would give Abraham a child, one day God would give His descendants the land, but when? By faith God led Abraham to the land. But when he got there, it was by faith that Abraham lived in the land.
Abraham may have thought that the Promised Land would be heaven on earth, but when he got there, he discovered that he was not yet in paradise. This is a marvelous picture of the Christian life. Coming to faith in Christ is like Abraham setting out on his journey to the Promised Land.
When you hear the call of God and by faith you obey His command to repent, all the promises of God are yours. Forgiveness is yours, the power and presence of the Holy Spirit is yours, and everlasting life is yours. In Christ all the promises of God are yours.
But soon you discover that you are not yet in paradise. Not yet are we free from sin’s presence or power. Not yet are we free from sickness or loss. Not yet do we enjoy a life of perfect peace. Not yet is the church without stain or wrinkle. Not yet have the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our Lord. And so we do not yet live in a world of justice and peace.
How has your faith demanded patience from you?
