This World Is Not My Home
I do love to travel, but have not been too many places in comparison to some. My husband and I have been planning for the “empty nest” phase we are about to embark upon by making plans to travel more. He does travel for work, and we always thought it would be fun for me to accompany him on some of his trips. We have always enjoyed our vacations, and at the end of each trip there is always a discussion about living permanently where we just visited. We have said on several occasions, as I am sure some of you have, “It’s a nice place to visit, but we wouldn’t want to live there.”
This thought has been weighing on me recently and more frequently as I survey the living conditions of this world in its current state. I am not intentionally tuned into all of the unruly behavior and unrest all around us, but it is nearly impossible to walk through a day without witnessing the ungodliness all around us. It should come as no surprise that Paul warned us so many years ago to expect perilous times in the last days (2 Tim. 3:1-4).
I am learning how little I actually need to be content. Things of this world that I thought were necessary no longer are. Things that one time distracted me from my relationship with the Lord and the ministry He has called me to no longer seem important. My life was so full of busyness and diversions that I found myself cutting corners on more important things, all the while disappointing my Savior. I woke up one morning, after going to bed with these thoughts penetrating my mind, to the old bluegrass song ringing in my head;
This World is not my home; I’m just-a-passing through.
My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue.
The angels beckon me from Heaven’s open door,
And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.
Many ladies have expressed similar thoughts regarding their desire for the Lord to come soon and take us to our forever heavenly home. Praise God this world is not where I am going to spend eternity. James reminds us that our life is a vapour that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away (Jas. 4:14). It is a beautiful place, and I always take pleasure in the beauty of God’s creation. But Jesus reminds us to lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven (Matt. 6:20), because heaven will be the forever home for those who trust Him as their Savior. This world is a nice place to visit, but I also know that it does not compare to my glorious home where I will spend eternity with my Heavenly Father. Praise God!
Paul was a master at circumventing problems, trials, afflictions, and sufferings by keeping an eternal perspective. He encourages us to faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day (II Cor. 4:16). He is reminding the reader that although we will have trouble in this life, it is not to be compared to the glory that awaits us in heaven (II Cor. 4:17-18). This is what is meant by having an eternal perspective, and it is what we all need to work on, especially during the most difficult times in our lives. In other words, this is not all there is, ladies! It does get better than this!
Paul carries this theme further into the next chapter by comparing our earthly house of this tabernacle (our temporal body) to our building from God (our eternal body). He describes our longing for not only our resurrected body, but also for our eternal home: free from afflictions and with peace for our weary souls (II Cor. 5:1-4). Paul assures us this certainty by stating that God…hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit (II Cor. 5:5). Earnest means guarantee. We put earnest money down on a house in good faith, and it is considered a promise of a guaranteed sale. It is the Holy Spirit’s transforming work that guarantees the completion of our sanctification when we will be glorified in heaven with our Father. Paul focused on having an eternal perspective by reminding us of our temporary and transitory state: whilst we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord (II Cor. 5:6). Because of our faith (confidence) in what we can’t see, but know from Scripture to be true, we are willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord (II Cor. 5 8).
Paul claims his motivation for having this eternal perspective is to be accepted by Him, or rather to please God (II Cor. 5:9). He continued to focus on the future by living by faith, obeying by faith, and preaching by faith - no matter what state he was in. Paul’s example to us in this passage is his motivation to please the Lord. Contributing to his motivation was the knowledge of the judgement to come after the rapture for all believers. We will all be recompensed for the things we have done. Of course, this judgment does not determine our eternal destiny, because that matter was settled at the moment of our salvation, but every man will give an account for things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad (II Cor. 5:10). Our goal as Christians, as it was for Paul, is to hear “well done, thou good and faithful servant” (Lk. 19:17).
Recently, our awareness has been raised as to how much of a godless society we are living in. I know I have personally been disgusted by comments made that disregard God and His sovereignty by media and those who hold political office. However, this is not new to our world; it’s just amplified by a changing culture to cancel culture. I am more determined to set my affections on things above, not on things on the earth (Col. 3:2). But there is no denying the ugliness that has been uncovered and the evil that has been exposed, and that is what makes me long for my eternal home. This world is a nice place to visit, but I don’t want to live here permanently, and I am so glad that I am “just-a-passing through.”
More Truth
1. We have been gazing at the world for so long, let’s turn our gaze to our eternal heavenly home with these Scriptures; Jn.14:1-6; 1 Cor. 15:52-53; Rev. 21; 22:1-5
2. How are we going to choose to spend our remaining time in our temporary home? How about reminding ourselves with what God has called us to do while we are here on this earth? Deut. 10:12; Mic. 6:8; Matt. 28:19-20; Titus 2:11-12
3. We must live in this world, but we do not have to live like the world. The warnings are numerous in Scripture concerning living like the world: Jn. 15:18-19; Rom. 12:2; 1 Cor. 3:18-19; Gal. 1:4; Js. 4:4; 1 Jn. 2:15-17; 4:1-6; 5:19.