Read

Hebrews 13:10-16

¹⁰We have an altar from which the priests in the Temple on earth have no right to eat. ¹¹Under the system of Jewish laws, the high priest brought the blood of animals into the Holy Place as a sacrifice for sin, but the bodies of the animals were burned outside the camp. ¹²So also Jesus suffered and died outside the city gates in order to make his people holy by shedding his own blood. ¹³So let us go out to him outside the camp and bear the disgrace he bore. ¹⁴For this world is not our home; we are looking forward to our city in heaven, which is yet to come.

¹⁵With Jesus’ help, let us continually offer our sacrifice of praise to God by proclaiming the glory of his name. ¹⁶Don’t forget to do good and to share what you have with those in need, for such sacrifices are very pleasing to God.

Reflect

A song by folk singer Derek Webb goes like this:

This world has nothing for me
and this world has everything
And all that I could want
and nothing that I need

It is so true that as you look around here, there is so much but yet, in the grand scheme of things, this world can not provide us with eternal life. As believers in Christ, our home is the new city that Christ has prepared for us. The material, temporal existence we lead here is nothing compared to heaven.

So, although we have to live in this world, we don’t have to live our lives like we were dependent on this world. We need to put ourselves “outside the camp” and live our life with the knowledge that our life here on earth is just preparation for our eternal life in heaven.

Respond

If the world lives “inside the camp” what does it mean to go “outside the camp”?

What does the author mean by “bear the disgrace he bore”?

When people watch you, can they tell that you live “outside the camp”?

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