I love verse 10 – "For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” I especially like the phrase “looking forward.”
FORWARD was the theme of a capital campaign at the church I pastor in 2010. We quoted this verse a lot during the month and a half or so of the campaign. I haven’t grown tired of it. It says two very important things.
First, vision if forward. Life should be lived forward. The things you can change, effect, influence are all forward. Backwards doesn’t get you anywhere. Today and the days after are all you really have to work with. Do it! Look forward. In Philippians, the Apostle Paul says, "Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead." Forward is really where we belong.
Some versions of Philippians say “casting off” instead of “forgetting.” I like that. I suspect most of us have more casting off to do than we have forgetting. What do you need to cast off (not just let go, but cast off)?
Second, looking forward is where we find God active and alive. When we look forward our vision doesn’t randomly wander, we are looking for something in particular. We are searching for a “city with foundations whose architect and builder is God.” Paul talks about “straining toward what is ahead.” What’s ahead is God!
And when we look, we find him! He’s preparing the way. There is a city he has designed and built for us. If we’re looking we can see hints of it all around us.
There are some things I wish I could go back in my life and fix. I can’t. There are some things about my present circumstances I wish I could change. I’ll do my part in making that happen, but a lot of that isn’t up to me. Ultimately, I’m looking forward. I see God there. And he’s been busy.
~Godspeed
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