…they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. (Hebrews 11:13b)

Read Hebrews 11:8-19

As he walked into the classroom, Daniel felt very out of place. His family had moved to California from the East Coast and everything and everyone seemed to be strange and foreign to him. With Daniel’s father being in the military, he knew not to get too attached to this new place and these new classmates because it wouldn’t be long before he would be moving again.

Abraham and Sarah must have felt the same way. From being asked to pack up all they owned and move to a new unknown place, to being promised a son and then having to wait more than 25 years to see this child born, to being asked to sacrifice this son of God’s promise, Abraham and Sarah came to understand that their time on the earth was only temporary and that nothing but God’s promise was consistent in their lives.

It is easy to lose sight of things that will last for eternity and invest out time, talents, and treasures into a world that is only temporary. Let us keep our eyes on Jesus instead, remembering that we are only passing through this world!

Father, help me remember that, in an uncertain world that I am only passing through, You are always constant and Your promises are true and everlasting. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

(This devotion first appeared in devotional publication The Quiet Hour)