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Posted by Emily K on June 11th, 2008 at 2:36pm
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Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands...For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight. (2 Cor. 5:1, 4-7)

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. 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. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God...All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. (Hebrews 11:8-10, 13)

It is the hardships of "tent-life" that cause us to long for heaven. It is also the hardships, by His grace, that conform us to Christ's image and help us to walk by faith. And as we are walking by faith, we learn what it is to be in need, and to know what it is to have plenty. We learn the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry. We learn to give thanks in all things, to pray without ceasing. And we learn to love Him more.

Come quickly, Lord Jesus!!

Posted by Emily K on June 4th, 2008 at 2:30pm
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Posted by Emily K on May 25th, 2008 at 11:05pm
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"

Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them." Then He said to him, "So shall your offspring be." (Gen. 15:5)

Looking up at the night sky on the camel ride into the Moroccan desert, I tried to count them. There were far more than I knew existed. The air was clear, with nary a light, save the starry host. Never had I seen anything more glorious! My mind kept replaying the adventures of Abram/Abraham in the Bible. I pondered the miles sojourning in an unknown land and the difficulty of the journey as the camel beneath me and stalled. I imagined the years wandering and waiting, toiling the land under the scorching sun. Abe anticipated the fulfillment of God's promise- the boy, the nation, and the blessing- only to trudge obediently up Mt. Moriah to sacrifice God's promised child. Despite many lapses of faith, God commended Abraham for just that- his extravagant faith in the Faithful One, who set the universe in motion, painted stars into the celestial sea, and made a "daddy" out of a 100-year old man, through whom all the world would be blessed.

Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood since the earth was founded?

He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth,
and its people are like grasshoppers.
He stretches out the heavens like a canopy,
and spreads them out like a tent to live in.

"To whom will you compare me?
Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One.

Lift your eyes and look to the heavens:
Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one,
and calls them each by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing.

Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.

Isaiah 40:21, 22, 25, 26, 28