How does Hebrews 11:15 encourage believers to focus on their heavenly home? Hebrews 11:15—A Forward-Facing Faith “If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return.” • The patriarchs remembered their earthly origins, yet deliberately refused to dwell on them. • By not “thinking of” their old country, they shut the door on the option of going back. • The verse quietly urges us to adopt the same mental discipline: what fills the mind directs the feet. The Pull of the Old Country • Familiarity, comfort, and nostalgia can tug at believers just as strongly today. • Lot’s wife illustrates the danger (Genesis 19:26): a backward glance became her downfall. • Jesus warned, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62) Why Returning Is Not an Option • Looking back often leads to drifting back. • The “opportunity” to return will always present itself; the key is to deny the appetite before it grows. • Hebrews 11 deliberately contrasts this with verse 16: “Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one.” Longing and looking go together. Eyes on the Promised City • Philippians 3:20: “Our citizenship is in heaven.” • Colossians 3:1-2: “Set your hearts on things above… set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” • John 14:2-3: Christ prepares a place, guaranteeing that our destination is real and personal. • Hebrews 13:14: “For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.” Living It Out Today • Feed hope daily—read passages on the new Jerusalem, resurrection, and Christ’s return. • Speak of heaven in normal conversation; it trains the tongue and the heart. • Replace backward-focused nostalgia with forward-focused gratitude: remember God’s promises more than yesterday’s pleasures. • Invest in eternal work—gospel sharing, acts of mercy, discipleship. Where treasure goes, the heart follows (Matthew 6:19-21). • Gather with like-minded believers. Pilgrims travel best together. Other Voices in Scripture Echoing the Call • 1 Peter 2:11—believers are “aliens and strangers,” abstaining from worldly passions. • 2 Corinthians 5:1—earthly tents are temporary; an eternal house awaits. • Revelation 21:1-4—the ultimate picture of our true homeland. Summary: Hearts Set on Home Hebrews 11:15 reminds us that victory comes not merely from leaving the old life but from refusing to keep imagining it. By locking our gaze on the “better country,” we silence the invitation to return and keep stepping toward the city God is preparing. |
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