You.

By faith. Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith, he made his home in the promised land, like a stranger in a foreign country. And he lived in tents. Hebrews eleven, verses eight and nine. There's something about camping in the great outdoors that can't be experienced anywhere else. The smell of a campfire, the gazillion stars sparkling in the dark sky, the sound of chirping crickets and croaking frogs. Somehow the food you cook over a camp stove always tastes better than anything you get in the finest restaurant. And then there's the tent. I'm a big fan of tents. Is it really camping if you're sleeping in a clean, spacious rv with running water, electricity, and an indoor toilet? I think not. One thing that is unique to a tent is that it is a portable structure. If you live in a tent only for a few days, you are ever aware that it is not a permanent structure. By nature, a tent is a temporary dwelling place and a reminder that though you may pitch your tent in a certain spot, that spot is not your permanent home. When God called Abraham, he told him to pack up and move his family and possessions to a place he had never seen before. That alone is scary enough, but Abraham also found himself moving from place to place, setting up camp here and there and living in a tent. That tent may have been staked to the ground, but it was always clear that it was not a permanent building. The writer of Hebrews goes on to say that all the time Abraham lived in a tent, he was looking forward to the city with foundations. That is, a permanent home designed and built by God. His life in a tent was a temporary situation, a journey of faith on which God was leading him. Our journey with Christ is like living in a tent. This world is not our permanent home. Like Abraham, we are looking ahead to the place in eternity that God has designed and built for us. Who doesn't know the old song that says, this world is not my home, I'm just passing through my treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue the angels beckon me from heaven's open door and I can't feel at home in this world anymore. It's not that camping isn't fun. It's just that when you're living out there in a tent, you know that you're not home. So it is with life on earth. Even on the best of days, we know that this place is not our real home for the time being, we must be content living in a tent.

This has been your thought for the day with Steve Burkham, pastor of community Christian Church in Stockton, California. If you have questions or comments for Pastor Steve, please send them to [email protected]. Have a great day, and we hope you'll join us tomorrow as pastor Steve opens God's word to bring us another thought for the day.