Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
This is a really important verse, and I know that many people, even if you've not been a part of a church community or read the Bible, have probably heard this verse alluded to. It's one of those verses that almost feels like a mantra.
In some ways, this is a way to navigate life, especially for those who are followers of the way of Jesus. We know that there are things that we need to see happen in our lives, or here on earth that feel insurmountable or really difficult to attain. This verse is so encouraging because sometimes we can't see how the resolution is going to come about. Sometimes we don't know when it's going to happen, but we are encouraged by a phrase like this: "We walk by faith and not by sight."
Our True Home
The greater idea of this verse is felt when you read it in the full context of the chapter that it's found in, in 2 Corinthians chapter 5. Paul starts out by talking about this idea that we have a heavenly dwelling as followers of Jesus. In other words, he's saying that as Christians, this is not our true home. We live here. We work here. We dwell here. But we truly, truly find our home in our heavenly places with our Father.
That's more than our human minds can even contain, but in the best way that we can, we understand that this life is fleeting. It's a vapor. It goes by so fast, especially relative to eternity. Thinking about time like this helps us to see that there are two things that are really important about the way that we live here on Earth.
Number one, it's what this verse reminds us. We do not make our home here, so our thoughts, our focus, our hopes are situated in our heavenly home. It also means that while we are here, we still live here, and we are fully present here with a mindset for the glory of God in everything that we do.
Living with Eternal Perspective
We should live in such a way that it is evident about our lives that we believe there is more than what this world has to offer, and there's more than this world being our heavenly home. There is a true, eternal home in the presence of our Father. Again, we live in the mystery of what that actually means.
A Simple Illustration
I think about a very simple but really important example that helps me to stay abreast of what I'm thinking about in terms of this idea. Imagine if somebody came into the room and said, "I have a surprise for you," and you get really excited about this because you want to know what it is. But they say, "You have to put this blindfold on first."
You're probably a little bit hesitant because you don't know where they're going to take you or what the surprise is, but there's anticipation in your heart and you trust this person. So, you put on the blindfold and you stand up from your chair, ready to be led to where you need to go.
In those instances, I know it's super simple and everybody knows how it works, but you have to trust that the person that will be leading you will lead you to the place that is ultimately for your good. All you can do is hold on, maybe grab the back of their shirt or hold on to their hand. You can't see anything. You don't know what's going on around you, but you're trusting that you're being led to a place that is ultimately for your good.
Trusting God's Leading
This is what it means to live here on earth. Paul's saying there's a greater, more beautiful idea that we're longing for and you can't see it right now. We walk by faith. We can't see. But we're trusting that God, by His Spirit, is leading us to where we need to go. We live here and we work here but as we do so, we fix our eyes on Jesus.