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{\b\fs48 Episode 1566: Desire a Better Country\b0}

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{\b\cf1 Scott Maderer:\b0}

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{ Thanks for joining me on episode 1,566 of the Inspired Stewardship Podcast. }

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{\b\cf3 Mark Struczewski:\b0}

{ I'm Mr. Productivity. I challenge you to invest in yourself, invest in others, develop your influence and impact the world by using your time, your talent, and your treasures to live out your calling. Having the ability to live intentionally instead of reactively is key, and one way to be inspired to do that is to listen to this The Inspired Stewardship Podcast with my friend Scott Maderer.}

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{\b\cf1 Scott Maderer:\b0}

{ It is about the vision of an ideal reality that we hope and try to create each and every day so that that next time that we step out, that out truly will be }

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{ different this time. Welcome and thank you for joining us on the Inspired Stewardship Podcast. If you truly desire to become the person who God wants you to be, then you must learn to use your time, your talent, and your treasures for your true calling.}

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{In the inspired Stewardship podcast, you will learn to invest in yourself. Invest in others and develop your influence so that you can impact the world.}

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{In today's spiritual foundation episode, I talk about Hebrews chapter 11 verses one through three and eight through 16. I share how it's not about fear or frustration or escapism, but about the vision of something better that we are called to. I also share how faith is assurance and conviction in the vision before it is realized.}

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{Hebrews chapter 11 verses one through three and eight through 16 says, now faith is the assurance of things hoped for the conviction of things not seen. Indeed by faith, our ancestors received approval. By faith, we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible by faith.}

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{Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance, and he set out not knowing where he was going. Yeah. By faith, he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise for he looked forward to that city that has foundations whose architecture and builder as God.}

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{By faith was Sarah's involvement. He received power of procreation even though he was too old because he considered him faithful who had promised. }

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{ Therefore from one person and this one as good as dead descendants were born as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.}

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{All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them, they that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth. For people who speak in this way make it clear that they're seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would've had an opportunity to return.}

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{But as says is, they desired a better homeland, that is a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God. Indeed, he has prepared a city for them. Throughout the years, my wife and I have had many different animals, dogs, cats, reptiles, others. And what's interesting is. I've noticed that with most of our animals, like many of us, we completely spoil them.}

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{ They live indoors. They have an easy life. And in fact, I think if reincarnation was a real thing, I'd want to come back as a animal with a really good owner given the way that we treat them. But oftentimes when they're indoors, they decide that they want outdoors. They stare out through the window or through the back door and hoping maybe that it will magically open and that they can go out and be in the outdoors.}

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{The problem is that oftentimes outdoors doesn't live up to their expectations. Sometimes it's wet or cold or windy, or there's other things out there I don't know, a leaf blowing in the wind that's scary and frightens them, and they want to come back inside just moments after they've gone out.}

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{And yet, within just a few minutes, they're wanting out again, because somehow this time }

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{ out will be better than it was last time. And yet the out that they just experienced is still the same out and they still want to believe that there is a better out, that the next time it will be better just like us.}

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{In fact, this passage in Hebrews is talking of the story of people that longed for a better out. They desired a better country a heavenly country. That's what drove them. We're told that's what drives them forward. It explains the lives that are written about before and after this statement. It shows the desire for something better, something more heavenly here on earth.}

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{And at first glance that may be thinking that's just a moment of escapism, that fantasy that we have that there'll be a better out, just like the animals }

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{ that forget moments ago that it was an out that they didn't like. These people are tired of where they are. They're fed up with the brokenness surrounding them, and they just are dissatisfied with that moment in time.}

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{The political leadership, the country, the things that are going on, and they're looking for a better place to go. A place to immigrate to that is better than here, certainly. If you think about it, no matter where you are in the world, no matter what moment in time, there's always a certain amount of dissatisfaction with the way things are.}

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{And that's probably a healthy thing in some ways, because things are usually not the way that they could be, or as perfect as they could be. But when you think about it, that negative emotion, that rejection doesn't really motivate us to change. The way a larger vision can, discontent, }

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{ frustration, anger, fear, those can get us moving, but the sustainability of that.}

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{Doesn't really last. It gets you moving, but it doesn't keep you going. Instead, you need something more. Something that adds to us, something that builds us up. Something that drives us forward, that encourages us, that paints a picture of a better future. Hope a y, whatever you wanna call it. And in the name, given it here in this passage from Hebrews, is faith.}

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{That vision, that faith, that assurance of the future is what they're talking about. For I am sure Paul writes, that's from Romans, or I'm convinced. It says other ways that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor }

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{ anything else in all of creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord.}

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{That's from Romans chapter eight. Think about it, faith is that assurance, that hope, that belief. But think about the moments that we live in day to day. Can we really be sure of anything? It seems like we're surrounded by uncertainty, fear, frustration, change.}

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{Faith is hard when things are going well. Thi faith is hard when things are going perfectly, but then when things aren't going well, it's even harder. Faith as well as an assurance, faith is an assurance of things Hoped for the conviction of things not seen. And I don't know about you, but I }

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{ have a hard time believing when I can't see doubting Thomas.}

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{Yeah. I live in that moment. I think most of us do. We can't really base everything we've got on something that we can't see. And faith that's. Really at its root what it is, it's believing in the hope of something not yet seen. It's creating a vision of the future in your mind, in your heart, and in your soul that you feel assured and secure about without ever really seeing it.}

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{Yet it's things hope for. Hope Emily Dickson Dickinson said is the thing with feathers, and you can think of that more than one way. That could mean that hope is fragile, it's ephemeral, but it also could talk about hope, having the power }

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{ to lift, to move, or to take flight. There's power in hope. There's power in belief.}

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{There's power in having a dream, a vision of seeing things and being convinced in their truth before they've ever come true. It's about seeing that justice can prevail. It's about see, seeing that equity can be true. It's about. Seeing that promises can be fulfilled, community can be built, the future can be restored.}

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{It's about the vision of an ideal reality that we hope and try to create each and every day so that next time that we step out, that out truly will be different this time. Thanks }

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{ for listening.}

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{Thanks so much for listening to the Inspired Stewardship Podcast. As a subscriber and listener, we challenge you to not just sit back and passively listen, but act on what you've heard and find a way to live your calling. If you enjoyed this episode, do me a favor. Go over to facebook.com/inspired stewardship and like our Facebook page and market that you'd like to get notifications from us so that we can connect with you on Facebook and make sure that we're serving you to the best of our abilities with time and tips there.}

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{Until next time, invest your time. Your talent and your treasures. Develop your influence and impact the }

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{ world.}

}