18 THE BETTER COUNTRY

THE BETTER COUNTRY

"They confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own!" Hebrews 11:13-14, Hebrews 11:16

Canaan was the better country to the Jew—but Heaven is the better country to the Christian. And truly it must be better than this poor world:
there are no thorns or pests there;
there is no sorrow or crying there;
there are no plagues or famines there;
there are no wants or woes there;
there is no sin, disease, or death there. In that heavenly country . . .
the atmosphere is serene and healthy,
the views are clear and enchanting,
the sun never goes down—for there is no night there.

Ah, it is a better country, if we think of . . .
the holiness and happiness of its inhabitants,
the plenitude of its stores, and
the immutable security thrown around it.

There is . . .
permanent joy,
untiring activity, and
the perpetual presence of God.

There are no winds of error there!

There are no storms of persecution there!

There are no sighs, groans, or sorrows there!

Aged Christian, this is the country you have been seeking—and you have now come to the border of it. Soon, very soon, you will be called to take possession of it—and then you will leave all that is painful behind you! There are . . .
no weary limbs,
no aching bones,
no unstrung nerves,
no long tedious nights there.

No, no! All is health, ease, light, peace, and pleasure there!

It is, indeed, the better land, the land which the Lord our God has prepared for us—and which we shall soon pass over Jordan to possess it!

Millions of our brethren, and some of our dear relatives—are there before us! Others are on the road, and will follow us—if they do not overtake us!

Best of all, Jesus is there! It is his country! It is called Emmanuel’s Land. Home of Jesus! My heart sighs for you. O to enter into that better country!

"If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them!" Hebrews 11:15-16