For he looked for a city which hath foundations whose builder and maker is God. Hebrews 11:10
Scientists are telling us that the huge 8.2 magnitude earthquake that shook Chile in April of 2014 has had some impact on the earth’s rotation. They calculate that, because of the shift caused by the earthquake, the day will be shorter by 1.26 microseconds. That’s not very long… you would need about a million of those to give you time enough to strike a match. The same scientists tell us that the earthquake also moved the earth’s figure axis about eight centimeters. These changes are permanent – until the next huge earthquake comes along. Tiny though they are, these changes remind us that our earth is not as stable as we would like to think – terra firma is not so terribly firm after all. That’s OK, we are just using this planet for a short while, and will soon be moving on to the city that Abraham had his eye on.
The term ‘looked for’ is actually an expression that means he was waiting for it. The temporary was good enough for Abraham until the permanent arrived. Are we looking for that city, too, or are we hunkering down on this poor little shaky lump of temporary dirt as though it were everything to hope for?
Why are there no earthquakes in Heaven? Why will the seismometer be as useless there as a clock? Because it is sinless! Earth’s faults and weaknesses are all traceable to sin. But Abraham was longing for a place where sin would no longer tempt him and interfere with his relationship with his God. This should mark the Christian today. We should not only live holy lives before God and the world, but we should also live in light of being free from the presence of sin. After all, that is the final piece of our salvation: when we are in the Glory, our sinful bodies will be changed into the likeness of the glorious sinless body of our Saviour.
As we struggle against the sin that so easily besets us, let us be like faithful Abraham, and live in the good and anticipation of reaching the sin-free atmosphere of our heavenly home. – Jim MacIntosh