No Turning Back

July 18, 2012


“They would have had opportunity to return” (Hebrews 11:15).

Looking for a way out? You’re not alone.

It is always possible to go back to the “old country.” There are always friends who will show you the way. And they will drive you themselves if you are afraid to go alone. In this case it meant going back to safety, security, a good job, and community acceptance.

How does this happen?
What causes believers to yearn for their old life?

It all starts in the mind: “If they had been thinking of the country they had left . . .” What you think about, you dwell upon. What you dwell upon, you desire. What you desire, you seek. What you seek, you find.

Even the most casual thoughts can set off a chain of events you can’t stop. But the warning is not all negative. Instead of going back, these Christians longed for a better country. When you make much of heaven, earth doesn’t seem so inviting. 

What are you thinking about today?
What thoughts fill your mind?

If you’re looking for a way out, you’ll probably find one.
If you’re looking for a way to please the Lord, you’ll probably find that too.

Search my heart, O Lord, and find all that is distracted and divided. Purify my thoughts, my dreams and my hopes that I may holy be. Grant me a fierce desire to sail on until I finally enter that heavenly land. Make me like the great men of old who gladly left all to follow you. Amen. 

Do you have any thoughts or questions about this post?