A stranger in this world desiring a heavenly homeland!

As I walked from my car across the deserted parking lot toward the bank where I work, I had many thoughts running through my mind. There was a cool breeze blowing on this lovely fall morning. I glanced up at the beautiful blue sky full of fluffy white clouds. Cars zipped by me on the nearby highway...But my mind was elsewhere. I thought about how my time on this earth is so short, and how I am just passing through. I thanked God for my life and how many blessings He has given me and continues to give. God has lately been giving me this inexpressible joy that reaches far beyond the worries and cares that I face each day at Artisans' Bank or elsewhere. A passage from Hebrews crossed my thoughts about halfway to the front door.

"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. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. 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." Hebrews 11:13-16

If only I could fully explain the joy that filled my soul as I considered the fact that this world is not my home. I am a stranger on this earth. It's actually quite encouraging to think about that when I realize all of the sin and disgusting things that are going on in this world. To be able to remember that God has prepared something better is something so awesome to rest my hope in when things around me or in the news or whatever can be so disturbing and evil.
I also remembered that the world does not know me because it does not know Him and therefore they can't truly understand why I can be so joyful in the midst of trouble...or how I can be so "nice" even when I am sick and tired. It brought such thankfulness into my heart to think that God has brought me so far along from where I used to be. All to the praise and glory of Himself! It is only by His grace that I am who He has made me to be today. And I hope and pray that He continues to do so each and every day! ("And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." Phil 1:6)

These are a few of the verses that are encouraging to believers as we think of who we are in this world and how we don't belong to this world. One day we shall be with our Lord in Heaven. Oh how I long for that day!


"Who gave himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father." Galatians 1:14
(through Jesus Christ we are delivered from this evil world...though we may be in the world now, we are not of it nor do we belong to it...encouraging to think about even seeing the evil all around us)

"For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" 1 John 5:4,5
(In believing that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, we overcome the world by our faith. His power is so awesome! And He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we could ask or think!! (Eph 3:20))

“If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." John 15:19
(Considering what this verse says, I almost hope that the world shows it's hatred toward me because that means that they see Him in me. If the world doesn't hate us or dislike us, then we must be doing too much to fit in with them as if we need their approval or acceptance.)

"I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world." John 17:14-16
(We are NOT of the world. How encouraging to think that Jesus asks for the Father to keep us from the evil one! Though we long for Heaven, we shouldn't forget our purposes that God has given to us while we are here on this earth.)

"Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." James 4:4
(Am I a "friend" of the world?)

"See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him." 1 John 3:1

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." John 14:27
(I actually have this very verse posted right in front of my face at my desk at work! I love it because we are guaranteed to have trials and troubles and tribulations here on earth. But we need not be troubled in our souls because Jesus gives us a peace to get us through these worldly struggles and we need not be afraid of anything this world dumps on our shoulders. The power that God used to raise Christ Jesus from the dead is available today to us as believers. The God of the Bible is still the God of today and He desires to show us that power if we would only trust Him and believe!)