Alien in a Strange Land

I have been an alien in a strange land. (Exodus 18:3 KJV)

There are many whose lives make them enemies of Christ's death on the cross. They are going to end up in hell, because their god is their bodily desires. They are proud of what they should be ashamed of, and they think only of things that belong to this world. We, however, are citizens of heaven, and we eagerly wait for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, to come from heaven. (Philippians 3:18-20 GNB)

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? (Psalms 42:2 NKJV)

If one visits a strange place, it's enjoyable to stay in an upscale hotel which caters to every need. Yet there's no place like home, and it's easy to leave behind the pleasant little amenities that were fully available for use but never owned.

Whether"stuff" of this world compares more closely to amenities of a five-star inn or of a cheap motel, it's not ours, but only available while we visit a strange land. Our citizenship is of another place, and we will one day go home and leave this all behind.

Wealth, health, talent, status, accomplishment—if it's of this world, it's temporary. It's purpose (beyond sustaining life) is to test of what sort of citizens of heaven we are. When the exam is finished, heaven will measure us according to whether resources were squandered on the foreign or faithfully used with an eye on our true home.

Father, You are abundantly generous with us. You give us so much more than we actually need. Please show us how You wish it used. Please grant us endurance for the brief test that reveals our heart. Please draw our hearts to value the eternal.

"Wealth consists not in the abundance of our possessions, but in the fewness of our wants." — Unknown

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Copyright 2008, Anne Lang Bundy