Thursday, January 20, 2011

Do not lose heart



"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day."

2 cor 4:16


On the Carmichael Estates in Scotland, there is an ancient house sadly falling into ruin. It is hard to find someone to rent a twenty-room house and maintain such a dwelling, so the house sets empty in the quiet center of Carmichael. On our last visit to my ancestral home, I noticed this Bible verse on the side of the house, reminding those who visited there not to place their love and affection on earthly buildings that crumble with time or on our fleshly houses that are so very temporary, so very vulnerable to sickness and disease. Someday, both houses shall fall into ruin and decay, just like this lovely old home that once was the epitome of fashion; an edifice of stone and wood that rivaled the Chief's own dwelling.


But...we have a house in the heavens, a house not made with hands, a building that is our final and eternal home. While facing my own personal trial of affliction these past months, I felt keenly the need to remember: no matter what my circumstance in this life...it is temporary, fleeting, and my eternal home lies in the heavenly realm, a place where my spiritual house will stand forever. This is the hope of the righteous, the goal of all God’s children.