We look forward to our permanent home and eternal life which God, who does not lie, has promised us in Christ Jesus. The tabernacle we now dwell in is not our permanent home, but our tent is temporary; it will be taken down one day; so it is with our bodies, but we look forward to our heavenly home and the eternal life to come. When we are unclothed, we will not remain unclothed, but we will be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, with our heavenly body. For this present life is not our home, we are only passing through as a foreigner. We have received the truth and have come to know the truth, and having known the truth, we look forward to an everlasting dwelling which is beyond corruption and decay, which is new and will remain forever. And this is the hope we profess, which causes us to stick out; nevertheless as the One who called us is holy, we are to be holy; and this is holiness: being different, and special, and set apart. The world also has a term for this: weird. And they say it derogatorily. But we are as aliens or foreigners to them, a strange and peculiar people; as it says in Hebrews about the ancestors, " All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them. " (Hebrews 11:13-15)
Then as Peter says, " Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. " (1 Peter 2:11)
So since we are not of this world, we abstain from the lusts of the world and covet the things of God. For there are many paths in this world, but not all lead to a goodly end. Indeed, only one leads to eternal life. The paths of the world are not eternal and do not go on forever - for they are dead ends. However, there is a Way which is eternal, which is narrow, which is Jesus Christ, who has gone before us as the first fruits of the resurrection. He gives us assurance that if we live as He lived in this world, we will also inherit the same life He lives; and we follow Him to receive the same reward, the same good result; in the same way, those who follow demons, follow them to perdition; as it says, " Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels." (Matthew 25:41)
For those who follow, follow their leader, and they go where ever the leader goes. For we who believe in Jesus, trust in Him and follow Him where ever He goes. Those who follow Him, do as He does; and those who do as He does, receive the reward as He did. Christ is the Gate, the Door, the Way to life. And furthermore in Him is the life; there is one life and the life is in the Son; " The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. " (Romans 6:23)
If we are in the Son, then we have the life; if we are without the Son, we do not have the life. Therefore, remain in God!
Our race is a race of faith, but there is also a walk, a walk after the Spirit, following Him as He goes ahead of us- yes, the Spirit goes on ahead and we follow. Christ, firstly, was the forerunner, racing the race perfectly before us. So we don't make up our own way for ourselves, because we know He is the Way; and we do not need to be afraid since Christ went on ahead of us and paved the way for us; and we know His goodly end. For just as the Israelites had a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of cloud by day to lead them, the same God who said to them has also said to us, " Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared." (Exodus 23:20)
And that angel is the angel of the LORD, Christ; for Christ says, " In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also." (John 14:2-3)
For " In all their affliction He was afflicted, And the angel of His presence saved them; In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them, And He lifted them and carried them all the days of old. " (Isaiah 63:9)
So we know Christ's end: glorification, exaltation, and eternal life. So we know as we follow Him, our Way is not dead, but living, resulting in eternal life. There are many other ways that are not the Way, which all end in death; but our Way is living, seated in heaven, exalted and everlasting, heavenward not downward, to life, not to death. We don't walk to walk to reach a dead end, wasting ourselves; no! But if our way is His Way, we walk to life, gaining fruit to everlasting life; " Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; Whoever is discerning, let him know them. For the ways of the LORD are right, And the righteous will walk in them, But transgressors will stumble in them. " (Hosea 14:9)
We know of Christ's exaltation; and we also know of Christ's sufferings: death, even on a cross. His sufferings were here on earth; and our sufferings which we will undergo are here as well; as Jesus said, " Remember the word that I said to you, 'A slave is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. " (John 15:20)
But what we may go through cannot compare with the glory which will be revealed in the end; “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” (Romans 8:18)
So this walk in life is spoken of in many ways; as it says, "walk in the Spirit", "walk in love", "walk by faith", "walk in the light", and "walk in the truth". If we walk in the Spirit we have no obligation to the flesh, gratifying its lusts and desires; but these both, the flesh and the Spirit, are contrary to one another; they are constantly waging war within us, so that we are not free to carry out our good intentions. But we must rule over the flesh and subdue it, making it work for us; as it says in one place, " A worker's appetite works for him, For his hunger urges him on. " (Proverbs 16:26)
If we wish to master over sin, we must abide in the truth; as Jesus testifies, " If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. " (John 8:32)
Faith is a walk, but that does not imply that it will be easy - it implies a lifestyle. The way of faith is also called a run; for "We run the race of faith, keeping our eyes on Jesus". For “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” (Hebrews 6:19-20) So when we walk, we see Him who has gone before us; and when we walk, our feet are on His trails. He is not far from anyone of us; for H is on this journey with us; although He has gone before us, He is with us. There is a time for running, there is a time for walking; a time to make haste, and a time to be at ease; there is a time for milk, and a time for solid food. Milk is good when young, but when mature, you move onto solid food. The mature run, after first learning how to walk; and the mature eat solid food, after first learning how to chew. As children, we first learn how to walk, then as adults we learn how to run; so we learn to walk, then as we walk in the light, gaining confidence with our feet, we begin to run. Walking may be easy, but when you're running, you're surely exerting a lot more effort. Walking may seem unfruitful, but we must walk before we run. For “If you have run with footmen and they have tired you out, Then how can you compete with horses? If you fall down in a land of peace, How will you do in the thicket of the Jordan?” (Jeremiah 12:5)
How hard it is to be saved, but how great is the reward! As it says, " It is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God? And, If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner? " (1 Peter 4:17-18)
As the disciples asked the Lord Jesus, "Who then can be saved?" And Jesus answered, " With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. " (Matthew 19:26)
Likewise the apostle says, " I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. " (Philippians 4:13)
For through God, all things are made possible. I believe when the time of perfection comes, we will be put to shame, if we have complained even a complaint in this life, because of the surpassing greatness of the heavenly life. This life is replaced by the next life, but the next life is replaced by nothing. I believe this is what Solomon meant in his wisdom when he said, " The end of a thing is better than its beginning; The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. " (Ecclesiastes: 7:8)
Because the end is forever, for it is replaced by nothing, but the beginning is replaced by the end. The patient in spirit wait for the eternal to come, but the proud in spirit hastily take what's here and now. Now is not the time to receive; as Elisha the prophet asks, "Is it a time to receive money and to receive clothes and olive groves and vineyards and sheep and oxen and male and female servants?” (2 Kings 5:26) And as Jesus said, " Woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full. Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. " (Luke 6:24-25)
For the saying which says, "Better is a bird in the hand, than two in the bush" is more weightier than the promises of God to the unbelieving and hopeless. For they want what they can see now, but we with patience forsake these to inherit the far better which God has promised. For even looking upon the promises of God with hope is far better; and how much more their fulfillment?