This World is Not My Home by Terry Gardner

This world is not My Home

By Terry Gardner

 

In his later years my grandfather used to ask Christians, “Who is ready to go to heaven? … right NOW?!”  Few people ever raised their hands or indicated they were ready to go immediately.  Much of the problem is that we are too invested in this life.  We have nice houses, good incomes, and pleasant lives here on earth.  We’ll be ready to go to heaven when all of that is gone and our health is gone too.  Otherwise, don’t sign me up.

The early Christians thought of themselves as pilgrims.  Their citizenship was in heaven.  The Apostle Paul was a Roman citizen but he knew that his true citizenship was heaven (Phil 3:20).  Paul did not spend his time trying to better the government of Rome nor did he lead any social reforms.  Paul was determined to know nothing but Christ and him crucified (1 Cor. 2:2) because that is all that ultimately matters.  Paul encouraged Christians to “Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.”  (Col. 3:2).

The world can seem like a very unsettled place at times.  The storms of life often come upon us.  We need to be like Peter and look toward Jesus and the home he has prepared for us.  As long as Peter looked at Jesus he could even walk on water but as soon as he looked away from Jesus and toward the storms he began to sink because he was afraid (Matt. 14:22-31).  So it is with us.  We get too invested in this life and things of this world and then the storms begin to bother us and we begin to sink into frustration, despair and fear.

We need to follow the great men and women of faith who knew they were pilgrims and strangers on the earth.  Remember Abraham who by faith “made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who where heirs with him of the same promise.  For he was looking for a city whose builder and maker is God.”  (Heb. 11:9-10).  When you pass through a foreign country on a temporary basis do you spend time railing against their laws and customs or do you stay focused on where your real home is?  The world is getting worse we often think and if so, what of it?  This world is not my home and I will not invest here.

I would encourage all Christians to focus on what Paul focused on.  Your citizenship is in heaven and your thoughts, hopes and dreams should be on the perfect place God created for his children, not on a broken earth where that which is crooked cannot be made straight and that will only wax worse and worse until God destroys it with a fervent heat (2 Peter 3:10) and time shall be no more.

Are you ready to go heaven?  NOW?