4 “Thus says the Lord
of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from
Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat
their produce. 6 Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your
sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and
daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. 7 But seek the welfare of the
city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for
in its welfare you will find your welfare.
Christians are dual
citizens seeking the welfare of their city and the hope of their homeland.
Hebrews 11:13-16
13 These all died in
faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and
greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and
exiles on the earth. 14 For people who speak thus make it clear that they are
seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of that land from which they
had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they
desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed
to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
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