“Friends, this world is not your home, so don’t make yourselves cozy in it. Don’t indulge your ego at the expense of your soul. Live an exemplary life among the natives so that your actions will refute their prejudices. Then they’ll be won over to God’s side and be there to join in the celebration when He arrives”—1 Peter 2:11-12 (MSG).
A conversation with a friend at church was a reminder of what God had laid on my heart that week. The cross necklace I wore reminded her of one her grandmothers, now deceased, had worn. Our conversation began with the necklace and led to a discussion about the swiftness of life’s passing, especially when we begin to lose loved ones.
Recently, I attended the funeral of a friend, who just two months ago, appeared to be in excellent health. Cecil, along with his wife, was an example of a true Christian servant.
Each Sunday morning Cecil would rise early to drive over 10 miles to our church, where he would leave his car, pick up the church van and return to his small hometown to pick up a load of children who he brought back for services at Claremore FUMC.
After church, he took the children back to their homes and then returned to Claremore to leave the van and fetch his automobile to return home to his own family. Let’s see—that’s six 10 plus-mile trips each Sunday or three 20 plus-mile round-trips, every Sunday. Cecil—whose wife voluntarily cooks a meal at our church’s bridge service each Thursday for 80-120 people—also drove the church bus on the same night to pick up and deliver to church those who had no other way to attend the informal evening service.
Why did he do it? Because Cecil understood this world is not our real home.
Our church youth members were stunned recently to learn one of their friends was diagnosed with Leukemia. They are holding prayer vigils for her as she begins her treatments. One mother, whose son was troubled by his friend’s diagnoses, told him, “Remember, this is just our temporary home.”
While it might be difficult to comprehend why Godly people suffer, as Christians we can live with a different perspective. We can live a heaven-bound life. As we grow in our walk with Christ and become spiritually mature disciples, we understand that there is much more to life than the number of years we walk the face of the earth or how much we accomplish while here.
American pastor and author, John MacArthur said, “We don’t seek to escape this life by dreaming of heaven. But we do find we can endure this life because of the certainty of heaven. Heaven is eternal. Earth is temporal. Those who fix all their affections on the fleeting things of this world are the real escapists, because they are vainly attempting to avoid facing eternity—by hiding in the fleeting shadows of things that are only transient.”
Don’t get too cozy. This is just your temporary home.