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Friday, November 03, 2006

Sojourn and Exile

"All these died in faith, without receiving the promises...having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth" (Hebrews 11:13). Hebrews 11:13 teaches this: If you believe in Christ, your life on earth is exile.

True, God calls us to be stewards of his creation, and to redeem the time. But God also calls us sojourners and exiles on earth. That is tension. Enhance life earth, remember your exile. Love your emenies, hate your mother and father and wife. Be slaves to serve men because you are free in Christ; be free from men because you are a slave to Christ.

All the tribulation, pain, unmet longing, all the disappoints of spouses and the guilt felt when we wrong a loved one, all of life under the cruse is endurable because we have new birth in Christ and are in his love us that liberates us to embrace all agony in our exile.