Temporarily Here

Hebrews 11 Father, makes my heart so want to have the reality of this earth being such a temporary place that it constantly changes my life.
The book "Safely Home" by Randy Alcorn did that in me also. It opened my eyes to the fact that this life is extremely temporary and all about allowing God to complete the work that He created us for, our specific purpose for being here. We don't always know the extent of what that means but our journey with You Father, will lead us on the right path.

After all,Your word says in Is 6,7;"all flesh IS grass; the grass withers and the flower fades..." This truth and the reality of it is that our bodies here on this earth are like a breeze and then they are gone.

My being a "temporary thing" is not a truth that is easily grasped nor one that the flesh receives willingly. Is it one that I truly "know" within?

In reading through Hebrews, we see that the saints of old had their eyes on their permanent home and not the one here on earth. That was a key focus and necessary to endure the things they had to endure.

They were were tortured, stoned, sawn in two, tempted, put to death with the sword, destitute, afflicted, and ill-treated. They were mocked, scourged, put in chains and imprisoned. Heb 11:36-37 Yet THEIR eyes were fixed.

Heb 12:1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.

The words in verse 1 are very interesting and helped me to understand the importance of what we are "seeing" and fixing our eyes on.

Race can mean any struggle, contest, or battle.
Endurance means steadfastness, constancy; for instance "a N.T. man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings."
Also it means a patient, steadfast, waiting for.

Entangle means "skillfully surrounding i.e. besetting". In looking at the word more closely its origin comes from words meaning "well done and fixed, established in place."

So being entangeld in something means we are stuck, really fixed in place and as one translation (CJB)puts it "..the sin which easily hampers our forward movement."

Wow. I don't want to be stuck, fixed or established in one place. In our relationship with you Your love, grace, and Word keeps us moving forward.

Just as the O.T. saints had their eyes fixed on the promise, You encourage us to go on "fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith,..."

There is no other way.

Moses in Heb 11:27 faced the fury and wrath of the king of Egypt and it did not stop him leaving that country because "as seeing Him who is unseen" he was able to lead Your people out.

No struggle, battle, or fear will intimidate us to waver from what we know is Your will when our eyes are fixed on the resurrected Christ, Our Lord.
Jesus says in Rev 1:17,18...
"Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore,..."

Help me to "know" and to "see" my eternal home, in Your  presence Father and that of
Jesus forevermore.