A New Country
Hebrews 11:12–16
And so a whole nation came from this one man who was as good as dead—a nation with so many people that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them.
All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
1 Peter 2:9–11
But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.
“Once you had no identity as a people;
now you are God’s people.
Once you received no mercy;
now you have received God’s mercy.”
Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls.
Reflection
Opting into God’s family has great benefits, and many promises await us one day, but it also comes with a call to live as foreigners in this world. We are God’s chosen people, a holy nation, and temporary residents of this world as Peter describes it. Part of our inheritance includes the promise of a new world, a new land, and a new nation. Our identity is wrapped in being God’s people, with the promise of one day being a citizen of heaven. Therefore, we do not belong to the nation we live in right now. We do not have to be worried or consumed with the world around us because it’s not our final home. This should give us great hope and encourage us to live set apart in the way we fight against our sin (“worldly desires”).
- What would it look like for you to live as a citizen of God’s Kingdom in a way that is compelling to others?
- How can you fight against worldly desires in order to live set apart from this world?