For here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come. Hebrews 13:14
When at age 18 I moved away from the family farm where I was born and grew up, I moved into a tiny apartment in what was then the village of Nashwaaksis. Despite its size, the apartment was in a very convenient location, and I remained there for ten years. Marriage and the arrival of a lively little daughter pushed us to seek larger accommodations, and we built (yes, we actually built it ourselves) a modest bungalow in the Southwood Park subdivision of Fredericton. A change of employment five years later resulted in our moving to a larger home in Sherwood Park in what was then the village of Gondola Point on the banks of the Kennebecasis River. This wonderful home in a quiet and pleasant neighbourhood served us well for 31 years. But becoming empty nesters and with retirement looming, we were drawn to the town of Hampton by the presence of a flock of grandchildren, so we downsized into a smaller home in the Bonney Park subdivision. What and where will our next move be? Although we cannot know, we do know that there will be a move sometime, whether to a nursing home or to a funeral home, because as our text declares, we have no continuing city here. Our story sounds like many moves, but we live in a day when many families live in far more homes than our family has. A truly permanent home must wait until we reach a better land.
We are promised a better home, a mansion, in fact, prepared by none other than our Lord Jesus (John 14:2). And it will be a permanent home, an eternal home where we will be forever with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:17). And it will be within the heavenly Jerusalem, in splendour and glory that far exceeds our ability to imagine. This is the hope that thrills the heart of every believer, as we realize the shortness of this life and the temporary nature of our sojourn here. The promise of the Lord’s soon return for His saints, and the assurance of a home in Heaven can lift us from the depths of whatever trials and sorrows that we encounter here and give us the joyful spirit that marks the citizen of the city that is to come.
God promised Abraham a land. And even though he outlived any of us, Abraham died without seeing the fulfilment of the promise. But he anticipated it, as Hebrews 11:10 tells us: He looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. We are going to the same great city as Abraham. And the day of receiving that promise is drawing very near. – Jim MacIntosh