Death and Life are in the Power of the Tongue

I love how the bible uses language from the earth to describe deep spiritual truths. We've lost a lot of understand as many of us no longer work outside but consider the below excerpts from the Proverbs 18:

Proverb 18:
"4 The words of a man's mouth are deep waters;
    the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook."

"21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
    and those who love it will eat its fruits."

A "bubbling brook" sustains life in a desolate land just as loving words can water a parched soul. This "water" also helps to grow the fruit of the soul. Hateful words grow bitter fruit and loving words grow sweet fruit. Thus, out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, but the corollary is also true: From the desire of the heart the ear receives.

Living in the Moment

One of the greatest lessons that I have been learning this year is the necessity of living in the moment. Upon inspection, it is apparent that living in the moment cannot be done just for the sake of the moment as so many people suggest by the choices they make. For example, you cannot claim to be living simply because you choose to fall through the air after having jumped from a perfectly good airplane with the hope that your parachute opens! The momentary feeling of weightlessness does not, in and of itself, constitute life. Indeed, living in the moment well comes from an understanding of what the moment is for!

I was forced to use myself as an example this morning as I was thinking about a recent visit to a convalescent home. I went to offer some of my time to an elderly woman I have gotten to know but found myself full of annoyance with the expectation that she was going to be paranoid and bitter. She was this for a time and I sat back and listened to her complain without realizing that the PURPOSE of my visit at that moment was to inject LIFE into her surroundings. I was visiting a friend on the verge of death and not doing my utmost to row her away from the doldrums and into the life giving breath of The Spirit. No, I simply fell asleep on her. I couldn't even read the bible to her without dozing off. And that's the third visit in a row that has happened!

What's humbling and revealed to me a heart of transparent duty as opposed to overflowing love, is that I gave my friend the dregs of my day. I had been in school for eight hours and was exhausted. Of course I was probably going to fall asleep and fail to have the energy to take the conversation to better terrain. Life comes when it is gifted as a first fruit offering from the abundance of the heart as opposed to a last
fruit offering from what is left over. I only wanted to offer the leftovers because that is what the drudgery of duty conjures up. My next visit, therefore, will be in the morning when we are both bright eyed and bushy tailed!

Refined thoughts on abortion.

Bringing life into the world is meant to be a thing of dignity. In light of this, the crux of my anti-abortion argument becomes a moral one. Advocates of abortion often use it as a means to perpetuate immoral lifestyles (whether they admit it or not). After all, why would a woman have responsible sex when all she has to do is terminate her pregnancy any time she gets pregnant? Why would a man consider sex an honorable thing if he never has to wrestle with the natural consequence of bearing children?

If you want bad behavior just subsidize it. We can deduce that an abortion subsidy (or payment) is immoral simply because of the result it brings about (more abortions and less responsibility). How can abortion ever be naturally good if the result of it is more immoral behavior and an unwillingness to accept the consequences of one's own actions?

If we were truly concerned about being dignified human beings we would accept the results of both the actions we choose and those we do not. For instance, if a woman is raped she can make the decision not to punish the baby resulting from her rape by aborting it. It is not the baby's fault, after all. It is a tough decision, to be sure, but it gives great value not only to the life of the unborn but to the giver of that life (the mother).

I say this to reveal in depth the motivation for the beliefs I hold. I belong to a way of life that is advocated by an innocent man who was willingly murdered in order to free me from the guilt of my own dishonor. He chose to give me dignity through His sacrifice though I did not deserve it. In this, His love towards me was even more amazing than the mother's love for a baby she chose to carry to term in spite of being raped. In my example, the baby did nothing wrong yet was saved. According to the innocent man, I was His murderer and yet He bestowed upon me (a guilty man) the same gift of life the mother bestowed upon her unborn child (an innocent). Thus, my argument is centered not necessarily in outlawing abortion, but specifically in revealing to the heart of man a dignifying love that is offered to all. That love is given through Jesus, the Son of God. His goodness is the true motivation for righteous living and in such living there is no need for abortion.

Joy in dark places.

It was the burden of death delayed. It was a new beginning waiting just beyond reach of that eternal door. With its approach was a weary sorrow.

Looking back, this is what I sensed when I visited a convalescent home years and years ago. I was a confusing mash of emotions trying to avoid suffocation under an intense weight of hopelessness. It was one of the most dreadful places I have ever been to. Walking down the hallway, I peered into a multitude of rooms open to all observers. In them, elderly people had their diapers changed, drugs administered, meals delivered. Every event was a spectacle and it sucked up joy like a sponge.

Well do I remember the lack of life before my eyes as I entered the "living" room. It felt like residents had gone there to die. Almost every seat was filled with the breathing dead. The TV was on with its volume turned low so that every hushed word crashed around the silent room in deafening waves. Heads rolled to the side, eyes were glazed over and spittle flecked the shirts of those whose mouths lay open.

My mind's eye recalls it as a sea of gray. Yet, there was a bright spot that drew my eye immediately. It was a brilliant purple splotch on the gun metal canvas. As it turned out, the name of the splotch was Lois. She was bedecked with a beautiful, old style purple skirt and vest. Her shoes matched and were in prime condition. Even her hair was done up and on it sat a purple hat, suspended at a rakish angle on her silvery curls. She had not succumbed within those haggard walls!

It took some time for me to make it to where she sat though she was not my destination. First, the woman closest to the entryway slowly looked up at me and a flicker of life flashed across her face. To this day I forget her name, so I will have to make do with remembering the brightness that sprang into her eyes. I sat with her for a few minutes, made jokes and complimented her on her charming good looks. We laughed and the room began to stir. More heads came up and a particularly mindless individual began to babble at me and laugh quickly. His mind stayed lost, though his eyes were anchored to my face. I was being called to leave but felt that I had a great opportunity to inject hope into these lives.

I pardoned myself from the first lady and approached Lois who had beckoned to me. I sat with her for a couple of joyful minutes while stating that her purple dress really brought out her beautiful eyes. Her laughter shimmered. Sadly, it was time for me to excuse myself for good. Lois made me promise to return and as I left I wished God's blessings upon everyone in the room. All had awoken by this time and the TV no longer smothered their dreams.

Sadly, I made an abrupt departure and am not particularly happy to remember it. Much to my shame, though I could see the need for Jesus and His love in that place, I never returned. I never saw Lois again. I broke my word to her. The situation was simply too overwhelming for me having never experienced such a thing before. Also, my personal visions of grandeur were at odds with the extreme limitations before me. Still, no excuse is worthy to be made.

Having thought about this much over the years, I have come to some difficult, yet good conclusions. The goal, as Shane Claiborne states in his book Irresistable Revolution, "was not to keep people alive, but to allow people to die with dignity, with someone loving them, singing, laughing, so they were not alone." But what dignity could I have given just by myself? For that, Mother Theresa said, "We can do no great things, just small things with great love. It is not how much you do, but how much love you put into doing it."

Even Jesus said that what we have done for the least of people we have done for Him. Learn from my (forgiven) failings. Love God in the small moments of everyday. Love His children and meet them at the point of their need. Bring them dignity with your love. We are an army of Davids and our small, tender works combined will change the world for Jesus. We are the light of Christ, called to bring His brilliance to a darkened world!

Philisophical testimony.

I have not found myself publicly blogging for over a month. This bothers me a bit but I have accepted that the Lord is simply encouraging me to bide my time and be content with the simply life He has given to me. I am writing today because I recently made a new friend who has really got my mental juices flowing.

He wrote an intriguing comment to me:

" I do not believe that we are created in god's image. I believe that god is created in our image...more precisely our deeply embedded need to deal with the "darkness outside our cave", our need to have answers to what comes after death...our fear that this is all there is and death is just that...the end. Humankind has always had a problem with The End.

For me, when I hear people say that have "faith" in this god or that goddess, I hear them really saying they have "need". A need to know the transcendent...a need for an answer that works for them, that comforts them, that allows them to get through Life, that Answers the fearful "darkness outside the cave".

Pleased with his question and my response on a generic level, I desired to immortalize the spirit of the conversation below:

I do not turn to faith out of fear of what's to come but out of hope of what I will be made into. That's a better promise than anything this vain life can give. After all, the righteous and the unrighteous alike find their end in the grave. Death is the great equalizer of all people but if we believe in nothing after it then it is impossible to truly thrive in this life. What's the point if there is no justice? The wicked see their days prolonged while the righteous end their days in misery. The thrifty give the bounty of their labor to those who did not work for it. The peaceful of heart find their end by the sword.

In other words, no hope for an afterlife (or to see Jesus face-to-face) causes us to live like hell in this life. Without Christ, our philosophy should simply be to, "Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die!"

Any comments would be appreciated!

Running doesn't bring safety.

Not even a month ago I was having extreme pain and itching on my forearms and neck. It would shatter my sleep with the sensation of white hot icepicks being driven into my flesh and nothing would cause it to relent. The itching and the pain correlated and scratching made both worse, and yet, I could. not. avoid. itching. After a short while of this, I would begin cursing and my attitude would turn bitter and resentful. A little research finally led me to the only thing that helped and that was an ice pack to deaden my nerves and help me fitfully return to sleep.

In these times, the thought passed through my mind to sell my soul to get rid of the agony (not that I have that option since God, you know, sort of owns my soul). Still, it was humiliating for me and a great cause of sorrow on my part that something so basic as an itch could bring me to my wits ends and fray my nerves so completely. The faith I spent so much time cultivating was broken quickly and the only thing holding me together was God's faithfulness.

I was reminded of Job from the Bible when he was afflicted with sores from the top of his head to the soles of his feet. His only recourse from the agony was to use a broken piece of pottery to scrape away fluids from the leaking pustules covering him. Yet, His hope in deliverance from God remained firm. He knew God to be His ultimate and only source of healing.

While I was meditating on the shallowness of my faith and lack of endurance, the thought of soldiers in trenches during World War I entered my mind. They lived with the rats and roaches, often with trench foot so bad the skin on their feet would slough off in great chunks. They were gassed and lived in full facial masks that made it almost impossible to exert oneself and breath at the same time. Enemy shelling would drive them deep underground for days at a time to the point that many soldiers would become "shell shocked" and lose control over their bodies and psyches.

What was the average soldier's response to this intense suffering? Did he leave the utter lack of comfort in the trenches for safety above ground? Did he remove his mask when he could barely breath to inhale the air outside? God no! Those soldiers knew that, though they suffered mightily in the inhumanity of the trenches, the danger out of the trenches and in the foul air was far greater. Certain death lurked in those dark shadows. Though they lived worse than brute beasts they accepted, even fatalistically, the life of suffering they were called to be in. There was no choice in the matter if they wanted to live. Their safety did not resolve around seeking comfort but in enduring a life of suffering for the promise of peace that was to come.

This was true for Job just as it is true for me and you. No one can avoid the pain in this life by running away from God who heals our pain. We are trapped in dying bodies that will suffer and die through all the pangs of that death. We are surrounded by a world that in its very nature seeks to destroy us and bring about a victory for wickedness. We are attacked on every side by demonic minions and our own convicting thoughts. In all this do we then turn to the world for solutions that it inherently cannot provide? Can the world kill us and also bring us to life? Is it wise to avoid God who is the wellspring of life? Not if you're being honest with yourself.

Our safety revolves around the only One who was able to enter into the enemy's trenches and silence their guns. He endured our agony to save us. That One is Jesus and only through trusting in Him alone are we able to come back into the light of day where the air is clean and the sun is bright. In Him alone are we able to remove the stifling masks that hid our faces for so long. It was for freedom that He set us free and only in Jesus can we live a life befitting the only creature to be made in God's image. Do not give up on God's healing for such light and transient causes of this world that is passing away. In just a little while we will finish the race of faith and enter into the heavenly courts where Jesus will look upon us face-to-face and His father will say, "Well done good and faithful servant."

Life sucks and then you die.

Where we come from is a mystery and to where we will go is unknown. The only certain thing is that from dust we were formed and to dust will our remains return. The sinner seeks justice from his oppressor and the righteous man dies of a broken heart. For what purpose does the one who seeks goodness work for? Assuredly, he will die just as the sinner. The lazy gambler loses his money in life just as the diligent worker loses it in death. Whether we tarry or hurry, the pursuit of wealth is foolish for what it purchases will decay away. To seek justice is a fool's errand for the grave will catch all in it's insatiable embrace. Whereas justice is never fulfilled, the grave is never filled. Regardless of the goodness we seek in life, at death we bequeath all things to those who did not earn them. The meaningless nature of this life is found in death.

You ask, "but what of justice? Is it not good that we seek it while we live?" Foolishness! Have you failed to examine your own heart? A man cannot live up to even the standards he strives for! We are marked by failure and deserve judgment at every step. We miss the mark of living up to God's law and prove the impossibility of living up to the law of man. Even as a law unto ourselves we are riddled with imperfection. We hate the people who murder in hatred and put them to death in our very hearts. We despise the jealous and the proud and drop the anchor of haughtiness deeply in the harbors of our souls. The secret places drip with venom and stink with the rot of death even as we polish the facade that we present to the world. We are white-washed tombs that look beautiful on the outside and contain nothing on the inside but decaying bones.

You want to judge but are already judged! Judgment brings no hope. The world knows this to be true which is why many rally around the banner of hating those who judge. Do you not see? Even in avoiding judgment we make ourselves arbiters of those who judge! If we could avoid judgment there is still no hope, for existence is joyless when wickedness goes unpunished. This is the crux of the problem we face as humans. With judgment no man escapes the murder in his own heart and without justice the murderer goes free.

Can this possibly be the end of the story for us? What is our purpose in this life and universe if all paths lead to hopelessness and death? There is only one answer and it must be found in the life, death, resurrection and ascension of the king of all creation, Jesus Christ, who came to save all men from their sins! He is the "man of sorrows" who took the corrupted mortality of this life upon Himself to be with us. He walked in life among those who were dead to Him to serve their needs and take away their distresses. He came not to judge us according to our evil ways, but to be judged though His ways were pure and faultless. Open your eyes, sinner! The judgment you deserve has fallen upon the Savior of mankind! Seek out His forgiveness! In this way only can perfect justice be established for eternity. Judgment is passed, justice prevails, and mercy and grace reign in Him who is merciful and just to forgive. All who put their trust in Him will by no means be put to shame. Death has been swallowed up in life!

The Green Mile movie review and various other thoughts

It was a brutal day at work today. I was on shift doing my rounds as security guard at Escondido Charter High School and was stuck outside for most of the day. The temperature winded its way on up to 96 degrees F. Thankfully, a friend and coworker pointed out to me that the weather report said it only felt like it was 91! What great news! The slight breeze that the weather report must have been citing for its "chill factor" made it feel like I was not only in a furnace, but in a blow dryer as well. Another coworker tried to cheer me up by offering to have his students fry eggs on the cars in the parking lot. I believe an ice cold beer would have made a better offering.

After driving home in a pool of my own sweat I managed to slide out of my car and crawl to the front door; the only evidence of my arrival being a cloud of dust that erupted from my parched throat when I coughed out the frog that would not stop croaking every time I tried to speak. I recovered only by the liberal application of cool libations to my crusted body and a long nap finally interrupted by the cruel ringing of my cell phone at around 7:00 pm mountain standard time. I am unable to recall who rang but will hopefully have my phone repaired soon so that I may check.


Unwilling to go back to sleep, I turned the telly on and saw that one of my all time favorite movies was playing on FX. I was surprised by that because, generally speaking, I think the station should change its initials to ZZ(zzzzz). Anything else on that station and I would have been sawing logs all over again.

The rush of static and zinging noise that brings a CRT to life opened onto one of the most intense segments of "The Green Mile." The miracle worker and falsely accused killer, John Coffey, was in prison with William "Wild Bill" Wharton (a singularly evil being); Percy Wetmore, the belittling and depraved keeper, was on the prowl for easy blood; the simple and repentant Cajun, Eduard Delacroix, was keeping to his pet mouse and was soon to "ride the lighting"; Paul Edgecomb, the warden, was working to hold together a system of justice that could be brutally wrong in its execution of justice.

Delacroix is enjoying one of his last conversations on the earth with wardens Edgecomb and Howell while his mouse is playing with the wooden spool on which thread is packaged. His last concern is the ownership and care of his mouse so Edgecomb and Howell spin a yarn about a mouse carnival in Florida where the little guy can perform tricks and be well-cared after. While gently discussing the care of Delacroix's beloved mouse, the creature runs out onto the green mile (central corridor) and is stomped under the vile boot of Percy Wetmore who states only that he knew he would get him eventually.

The anguished cry that pours from the soul of Delacroix is simple to understand: Death was looming before his eyes and the last measure of joy in his life had just been crushed. Wetmore, a man who delighted in destroying what was good had won an evil victory in ruining Delacroix's spirit. At this point, Coffey urgently beckons for Edgecomb to place the dead mouse in his hands and, for the sake of all that is good, resurrects it back to life and denies Wetmore his wicked triumph. Be forewarned that I mean to describe how I see the beauty of Christ in all of this.

The scene described is amazingly powerful because it reflects the desire of the human heart to see justice done. Yet, justice is ultimately impossible for creatures of flesh and blood. The throbbing wounds and open cuts dealt by the hand of the evildoer remain even when the perpetrator is held accountable before the law. Even when the wounds for the victim heal over there is oftentimes a deep scar. Thus, we see that the law has no ability to save and maintain life. All it does is point to the failures of those who come before it and punish them. The life giving ingredient that is missing from the law is mercy which cannot be given arbitrarily lest justice be ignored.

Nothing of flesh and blood can stand clean before the law and that is why the gift of life that Coffey gives is one of mercy and compassion. He resurrects Delecroix's mouse to show compassion towards a fellow man who was condemned under the law and about to be put to death. He resurrected hope by giving life. Did not Christ do the same thing when, in His miracles He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind and raised the dead from the grave? In this respect, Coffey is a Christ-figure in this movie.

Whereas the natural man, like Wetmore, is condemned before the law because of a desire to withhold justice and steal from others what is good, the supernatural and supremely innocent man (or man of the Spirit whom Coffey represents) is justified before the law because of a desire to restore life and love. Coffey does this willingly through his own suffering when he sucks the sickness and death out of the infirmed and pulls it into himself. He renews life, hope, love, joy and peace through his compassionate gift. Thus, in a sense, absolution is found for those whom Coffey heals when he hides their sickness within his own frame and suffers for it.

Christ does the same for those who love Him. The ability to give life is the most powerful force in the universe and when Christ takes the condemnation of those who fail the test of the law and buries it in His own body, the One who must judge that wickedness now finds no fault in the one from whom it was removed. In fact, the fault now lies with the one who holds it (Christ) and He suffered the blame.

We can see a type of the injustice of Christ's guilt when Coffey willingly suffers death by electricity. Yet, that death is only for himself, so that he might escape the pain that he holds within and the suffering that he sees "all around." How much more unjust was it that Jesus, who died willingly as well, should die a death on the cross to save us because of the pain that we suffer through? This is how God's mercy triumphs over law's judgment. Read John 17 if you wish to investigate for yourself. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john%2017&version=NIV

The deep truths I am trying to convey in this writing are thus given:

1) Without grace and mercy everything we gain in this life will be lost.

"Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart." Job 1:21

"...the wise man, like the fool, will not be long remembered; in days to come both will be forgotten. Like the fool, the wise man too must die!" Ecclesiastes 2:16

2) Death and wickedness are thieves and an offense that God has overcome.

"When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 15:54-57

3) God restores life and love in a state uncorrupted and beautiful.

"Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." Revelation 21:3-4

The day is coming! Can you feel it?

- The return of Christ resembles the dawn: We can see the light of the coming sun but have not yet seen its rising.

Revelation 22:16-17

Jesus said, "I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star. The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life."

- The day draws near when we shall cross the final river and pull our boats up onto God's heavenly crystal shores.

Psalm 116:15

"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints."

- The night will end forever in Christ's presence when when He runs down the shore and pulls you deep into his embrace.

1 Corinthians 13:12

"Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known."

Christian Persecution.

"If I had stayed in Ohio, I wouldn't be alive," Rifqa Bary, a Christian convert whose parents are Muslim immigrants from Sri Lanka said. "In 150 generations in family, no one has known Jesus. I am the first — imagine the honor in killing me."

"There is great honor in that, because if they love Allah more than me, they have to do it. It's in the Koran."

The video is a powerful testament to what it means to follow Jesus. What would you give up just to know God more?



As for Rifqa, Christ died so that she could have eternal life! Though there is much in her life that seems fearful, the Lord has conquered death so that her death, however it may come, may be swallowed up in life!

There is life after death.

I have been trying to figure out how to write this post for a few weeks now. Death is not something that people generally enjoy to dwell upon so I was stumped as to how I could present it in a hopeful manner. A couple of things happened today to help me understand it myself and also communicate what it is I have come to know in part.

I have been meditating on Hebrews 11 for the past couple of weeks now. It is called "the chapter of faith" by many people and as I have read and considered it I have come to understand it more deeply as a chapter about hope in the face of death. As it says in the beginning, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. What have I hoped for? What is the promise that I have faith in that I do not see? I hope for a perfected life that is characterized by love and peace. The evidence of my hope is my desire to receive these better things and the full assurance that these better things will be given to me.

Why do I hope for these things? I hope because this life I have been given is subjected to futility. I wake up from unfulfilled sleep, go to work to a job that is never finished, seek praises of men who the next day withdraw them, earn money to buy things which do not last, fall in love with people who will die and eat only to be hungry again. It is all vanity. I entered naked into a world that is disappearing and will leave this life naked with nothing that I have worked for.

Yet, as for my sleepless nights, God's compassions never fail and are renewed every morning. As for my unfinished work, Christ finished His work on the cross and sat down to rest at the right hand of God. As for the praises of men, I have the praises of my Father in Heaven which never disappoint. As for money and that which does not last, the Lord is my portion forever. As for love that ends in death, Christ's love for me was forever perfected by His death. As for my hunger, the Lord is my bread of life. I have eaten and drunk of Him and will never hunger or thirst again. I was blind but now I see.

How is my sight evidence? Can I point to the things I see as a proof of something others don't know? Perhaps. I have an analogy that is the first of the two things that helped me to better understand death. Do you remember the Magic Eye stereogram books that came out years ago with all those 3D images you had to find in a jumble of of seemingly random colors? I hated those books because I could never find the images. It always seemed like others were able to pick them out with ease. Still, would it not have been absurd for me to demand proof that they were seeing the pictures? They would simply reply that they could see the image!

Death is much the same way. The world looks at it and sees a terrifying end to a confusing life and it dies for lack of a better promise. But those who believe look at the stereogram of death and can see the image of perfected life.

Death is very often abrupt and unexpected and happens to those who seemed to have their entire lives set before them. The death of my cousin's boyfriend of a year and a half was the second clarifying event for me today. My cousin just turned 18 this weekend and was unable to celebrate with her boyfriend because he was ejected from a car that his drunken friend was driving and died. I called my cousin's family up and shared some tears and consolation for their sudden loss. He had been like family to them. I pray to God that he is in Heaven with His Father now. I have found the song "Homesick" by Mercy Me to be good to listen to at times like these:



Also, "I Will Rise" by Chris Tomlin:



Lastly, "Carry you to Jesus" by Steven Curtis Chapman:



With Christ, death is simply a gateway for those who would love to be with God, the giver of life. The believer does not mourn as those who have no hope for he knows that precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints. Death is the culmination of love for Christ died to save His children so that He could raise them up to live for eternity in the everlasting city of God. That is why I can quote these scriptures from Hebrews 11:

On Abraham's hope for his inheritance:

"¹⁰For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God."

On Abel, Enoch, Noah and Abraham's deaths:

"¹³ These all died in faith, not having received the promises [on earth], but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth...¹⁶ But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them."

On Moses' faith of better things to come:

"²⁴ By faith Moses...refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, ²⁵ choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, ²⁶ esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward."

I must admit that there is much that I am missing here. I can truly only say that this world was not worthy of Christ, but we were of great worth to Him and He came to this sad planet to save us in order that we would be worthy of a better world. He came to take us from a place of unnatural death in order to present us before God, holy and blameless, so that we might live in His city forever in natural life.