Are You Looking for a Better Country?

By John Duvall In In Remembrance On October 18, 2015

How fond are you of your homeland? If you were to travel abroad for ten years, would you long to return to your homeland? The Bible talks about such people who were strangers and foreigners, people separated from their homeland. However, these people were not looking to return home for if they desired as such, they would have returned to their homeland. Consider Hebrews 11:13-15:

These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return.  (Hebrews 11:13-15)

These faithful followers of God recognized they were “strangers and pilgrims on the earth.” However, they did not seek to return to their place of birth, their homeland. Instead these faithful people were looking for a place of promise, a place they had seen afar off and were assured. These people desired a better country, a heavenly country. As a result, God was not ashamed to be called their God. (Hebrews 11:16)

Such faithful people were Abraham and Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, the parents of Moses, Moses, etc. All of these people trusted in the Lord God and faithfully followed Him. According to the Hebrew writer, they all sought a better, a heavenly country.

Many people say that the United States of America is a great nation. Personally, I am quite found of the U.S. of A. However, my desires are to live elsewhere. My desire to to one day go to that better country sought by Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, etc. However, before I can travel to that country, I must finish my life here, faithfully serving the Lord.

Not every person is seeking that better country. Not every person is promised to receive better country. Only those people who are part of the kingdom of Christ, who are a part of the body of Christ will dwell in that better, that heavenly country. One must be saved. One must be redeemed from his sins. One must be in Jesus Christ.

Where do you stand? Ask yourself the following questions: 1) Do you possess the belief, the conviction strong enough to follow the teachings of Jesus and His apostles? (Hebrews 11:6); 2) If you do believe, then have you obeyed Jesus’ command to repent of your sins and be baptized into Jesus Christ? (cf. Acts 2:38; Mark 16:16; Romans 6:3-4); 3) Like the eunuch, are you willing to express your belief in Jesus and be baptized so that you might be saved?  (Acts 8:35-39)  If you are ready to follow the teachings of Jesus and His apostles, then you can be saved, you can be added to that wonderful body of Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:13) Walk in the footsteps of the believers found in God’s word. Live faithful until the end your days and the Lord will bless you with eternal life in heaven. (cf. Revelations 2:10b) By so doing, you can rightly seek that better, that heavenly country.