Tuesday, March 5, 2024

JESUS’ UPSIDE-DOWN WORLD

 Matthew 5:5 (NIV)

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

               Recently I was reminded of the biblical truth that God uses the weak things of the world to confound the strong. On the surface, this doesn’t look possible. It seems that those who are strong, from a worldly point of view, are the ones who win. If I may be bold, it seems like the bullies are the ones who get what they want and the rest of us just have to accept it. But I was reminded that God has a different economy and that those who play by His rules will ultimately win.

               The Bible Project is doing a year-long, intensive study in the Sermon on the Mount. The first part of their study has been focused on the Beatitudes. In the Beatitudes, Jesus turned the world upside-down. He told the marinized, the powerless, and the forgotten that in God’s world they are the winners. This was true not because they were going to turn the tables on the bullies of their day. Instead, as they began to live out Kingdom values, they would transform their world. The first step to this radical transformation was to recognize their need and to turn to the only one who could meet that need.

               The Apostle John put it this way. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God." John 3:16-21 (NIV)

               Those who refuse to acknowledge who Jesus is and turn toward Him will continue to live in darkness. But those who turn toward Jesus in faith will live a new life in the light of God. Their entire world will be transformed. They will be given a strength that comes, not from themselves, but from God. This new strength will actually give them the upper hand in the world. It doesn’t mean that they will not have troubles, but that they will face those troubles with confidence and courage. As Jesus said, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33 (NIV)

               Paul picked up on this idea in his letter to the church at Corinth. They were struggling with the idea of power and influence. They were tempted to fall back into the old power struggles of their old life. Paul reminded them that the Kingdom of God works differently. God’s power is revealed not in our human strength, but in our human weakness.

               Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things--and the things that are not--to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 (NIV)

               There is no doubt that we are in a spiritual battle, with very physical manifestations. But we cannot give in to the temptation to fight fire with fire, so to speak. We have been called to wage a very different kind of battle, one that relies totally on the power of God. In Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, he again had to address the issue of power.

               By the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you--I, Paul, who am "timid" when face to face with you, but "bold" when away! I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world. For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:1-5 (NIV)

               When Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount, those listening must have felt that what Jesus said was unrealistic and too good to be true. Yet the early church turned its world upside-down and eventually transformed the culture of the day. It seems like the things of the world are winning the day today. The words of Jesus seem unrealistic in our caustic and combative world. But as I was reminded recently, God often uses the weak to confound the strong. He stands against the proud and the arrogant and He will bring them down.

               Meekness is not weakness. Meekness is strength under control. The truly meek person understands that their strength comes from God. They can stand firm even in difficult situations and trust God to empower them. When we play by Jesus’ rules, we too can turn our world upside-down.

               But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.
               Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal
. 2 Corinthians 4:7-9, 16-18 (NIV)



Friday, March 1, 2024

WHEN YOU FEEL INVISIBLE

 John 10:3

    The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

                I do not presume that everyone has had this experience, but it is one that many of us can relate to. It is the feeling of being invisible, unseen, unacknowledged. I have experienced this feeling in several different ways throughout my life.

                When I was a boy at school, I often felt invisible to my classmates. I often felt like an outsider looking in. When I got to jr. high I intentionally tried to be invisible to certain people, i.e. the class bullies. At the same time, I felt invisible to the students who coursed around me. In high school, I was actively involved in choir. Each year our school would put on a musical. Each year I would audition and each year I would be placed in the choir. Both my older and younger brothers had been given speaking roles at different times. This made me feel even more invisible when I was denied the same experience.

                There have been many times in ministry when I have felt invisible. When I have watched colleagues of mine recognized for their ministry efforts, I often felt left out. Out of curiosity, I recently looked up how old Rick Warren and Max Lucado are. They are both my age. When I look at what they have accomplished, I think, what happened to me?

                There have been many times when I have attended a gathering of pastors and ministry leaders when I have felt invisible in the crowd. I have never been the kind of person who can command a room. I have often found myself hanging out on the fringes of the crowd, sometimes even hiding in the shadows.

                Why do I bring all of this up? It was prompted by a TV show we have been watching lately called MONK. It is the story of a brilliant detective who is plagued by countless obsessions and a low self-esteem. Recently, the episode we watched had several flashbacks to when Mr. Monk was in jr. high. As I watched his experience, I found myself transported back to my own experience.

                You can write off my ramblings as venting or complaining or even feeling sorry for myself, and you may be right. But that does not negate the genuine feeling of being invisible. It is a real experience and many people live in those feelings every day of their lives.

                The danger for those of us who claim to be followers of Jesus is that we may begin to feel that we are invisible to God. God seems to care about other people, but we feel left out. If you have ever felt that way, welcome to the club. It is essential that we recognize our feeling of invisibility and counter it with the reality of our relationship with Christ. We are never invisible to Him. We are never insignificant to Him. And what we do in His name is always noticed by Him, whether or not anyone else pays attention.

                One of my favorite Psalms is Psalm 139. David may have been feeling invisible when he wrote this psalm, but he took his feelings and aligned them with the reality of who God is.

Psalm 139:1-12

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

O Lord, you have searched me

and you know me.

You know when I sit and when I rise;

you perceive my thoughts from afar.

You discern my going out and my lying down;

you are familiar with all my ways.

Before a word is on my tongue

you know it completely, O Lord. 

You hem me in--behind and before;

you have laid your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,

too lofty for me to attain. 

Where can I go from your Spirit?

Where can I flee from your presence?

If I go up to the heavens, you are there;

if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

If I rise on the wings of the dawn,

if I settle on the far side of the sea,

even there your hand will guide me,

your right hand will hold me fast. 

If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me

and the light become night around me,"

even the darkness will not be dark to you;

the night will shine like the day,

for darkness is as light to you.

                 When we feel invisible, we need to come back to this Psalm and be reminded that we are never invisible to God. God is watching with keen interest what is going on in our lives. God is watching with love and compassion, desiring for us to experience His unbounded care. God is watching and He delights in us.

                Years ago, I made a conscious choice to let go of the comparison game. I decided that all that really mattered was what God thinks about me. I do not have to compete with others to feel valued and appreciated, because the creator of the universe has shown His light of love into my life. In the end, the only opinion that will really matter is His.

Matthew 25:21

    "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

      

Tuesday, February 20, 2024

CAN I BE HONEST?

 Psalms 6:3 (NIV)

My soul is in anguish. How long, O LORD, how long?

               If you were angry at God, would you tell him? If you were frustrated with God, would you express your feelings honestly?

               I have been reading Tim Keller’s book on prayer and this morning I read a section about intercession. Most often, much of the content of our prayers falls into this category. We ask God for things we need or want. We pray for others, asking for healing or a job or the reconciliation of a relationship. All of these things are acceptable. Jesus invites us to make our requests to God.

               Keller points out that there is an aspect of intercession that we often omit; complaint. Not only are we uncomfortable with complaining to God, we feel it is inappropriate. We have been taught to pray in the most positive terms possible, even when we feel anything but positive. We are afraid God will be angry with us if we express our doubts, frustrations, and anger. Yet, God already knows all about these feelings. Still, we find it hard to express them directly to God, even though we might verbalize them to others.

               In the book of Psalms, there are at least 42 Psalms of lament. King David, in particular, was not afraid to express his deepest emotions to God in prayer. What we often miss as we read the Psalms is that they were intended to be used in public worship. These were not just the private musing of David and others. These were to be sung as a corporate act of worship.

               The Psalms can teach us much about expressing our emotions honestly before God. The first thing that we must grasp is that it is okay! God is not threatened by our complaints. God is not put off when we express anger or frustration. God’s love for us is not diminished in any way when we are openly honest with Him. We know that in a human relationship, trying to hide our anger or frustration is destructive. As hard as it is at times to be honest with our emotions, it is the only way to really deal with them. Once they are out in the open, we can address the root cause and move forward. What is true in our relationships with others is true in our relationship with God.

               Not only is it okay for us to express our emotions before God, He invites us to do just that. God wants us to be honest with Him about how we feel, even if those emotions are negative. By expressing our deep emotions to God, we open the door for God to answer our complaints. In the process, we can gain a better understanding of why we feel the way we do. We can begin to put our emotions into perspective. In the vast majority of lament Psalms the author ends with a new or clearer understanding of who God is and that He can be trusted.

               Somewhere along the line I was taught that the only question that God will not answer is the question why. I think that this is only partially true. Some of the ultimate questions, such as why God allowed a certain tragedy to occur, will probably remain a mystery to us. But on the other hand, there are many occasions when God is more than ready to answer our why questions. When we ask why we feel a certain way or act in a certain way, God will lead us to understand more about who we are and the motives that are hidden even from us. Not only will God give us a better understanding of ourselves, He will also give us a deeper understanding of who He is.

               In 2 Corinthians, Paul relates his struggle with what he called his thorn in the flesh. Three times he prayed and asked God to take it away, but God did not. Then, in an implied why question, God revealed to Paul that He would give Paul the strength and the grace to endure his affliction. God had not abandoned Paul, but was calling Paul to a deeper level of trust and reliance upon God.

               When we have the courage to honestly express our emotions to God, we open the door for God to do a work in our lives that goes far deeper than the presenting issues. God is in the process of shaping our character so that we might be transformed into the image of Christ. That journey often leads us through some dark valleys where it is hard for us to see the light. As we openly express what we are feeling, we invite God to shine His light into our situation. Like Paul, God is calling us to learn to trust Him at a much deeper level.

               On Sunday, we sung the hymn, It Is Well with My Soul. It is a powerful and challenging hymn that encourages us to rest in the loving arms of Jesus even when our world seems to be in chaos. But before we can truly rest in Jesus’ loving arms, we need to be honest with ourselves and with God that from our perspective it does not feel like it is well with my soul.

               In the book of Job, Job openly complains to God about his situation. God never let’s Job in on the secret behind why all this was happening to him. But in the end, God calls Job a righteous person. Job was honest with God and God honored him for it.

               Job and the Psalms teach us that God wants us to honestly express our emotions to Him. By releasing our anger and frustration to God we open the door for God to replace them with His peace and assurance.

Psalms 42:11 (NIV)
Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

 

Tuesday, February 13, 2024

IS GOD AN EGOTIST?

 Psalms 103:1 (NIV)

Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

               In my devotions I have been reading Tim Kellers book on prayer. Today, I read about the role of praise to God in our prayers. Keller makes the point that our prayers should begin with praise of God, in order to put everything else into perspective.

               Praise and worship of God is at the center of our faith. We gather on Sundays to give God praise. It is at the very core of what it means to be a community of faith. 50 times in the Psalms we are either commanded or encouraged to praise God. Keller raises the question, why should we praise God? Does God need our praise? Is God an egotist?

               To answer that question, Keller turns to C.S. Lewis for help. Lewis struggled with the idea of praise and worship when he first became a believer. As he put it, we look down on the person who is constantly looking for the praise of others, the person who needs accolades to feel good about themselves. If this is an undesirable characteristic among people, why are we commanded to give praise to God?

               As Lewis contemplated this question, he realized that he had missed on important component of praise. Generally, in life, we praise those things that we value the most. We also praise those things that bring us pleasure. We praise a beautiful sunset. We praise a masterful piece of art. We praise a stirring piece of music. We praise a well-played performance. We also praise the people we love and the things we love. Praise comes naturally to us. It is our normal response to things that move us in some way. We can’t help it.

               But there is another aspect that takes praise even deeper. Our praise actually heightens and completes our experience. Our satisfaction and delight are increased when we genuinely praise something. Suanne and I had the privilege of seeing a Broadway production of Aladdin recently. That was several weeks ago, yet even last night I praised the performance to our son. In a way, our praise allows us to enter back into the experience.

               I experienced the flip side of this years ago as I drove to a meeting in northern Minnesota. I was driving at night out in the country. It was very dark. Then the sky erupted with the northern lights. It was one of the most amazing things I had ever seen. Yet there was no one with me. I wanted to share the experience, to describe it, to praise it, yet I could not. It was so frustrating.

               Lewis and Keller make the point that God invites us to praise Him, not because He needs it, but because we do. Our experience of God is enhanced by praise. Our appreciation of God is deepened through praise. Our love for God is expanded in praise. Our commitment to God is solidified in praise. The more we understand who God is and what He has done for us, our natural response is to give Him praise.

               One of the reasons we may have trouble with giving praise to God is that we have been programmed to find fault rather than give praise. We hear far more criticism in our everyday lives than praise. Excellence is expected as the norm. Anything less is called out. Even within the church we are hesitant to give praise. I knew a man who refused to praise his children because he felt it fostered pride. I really struggled with that as a child. Somehow, I got the idea in my head that to receive praise for something that I had done was prideful and therefore wrong. Jesus’ statements in the Sermon on the Mount about the Pharisees seeking the praise of men haunted me. (Matthew 6:1-18) I often hid my talents under a basket, rather than let them shine, because I was afraid God would be displeased and I would lose my reward. When I did let them shine, I felt guilty.

               God has called us to praise Him for our own benefit. When we genuinely praise God, we can also praise other things with genuineness. When we recognize God as the author of all that is good and right and praiseworthy in the world, then responding in praise is the correct response. We can fully enter into and enjoy the experiences of life without fear or regret.

               God is the ultimate master artist, inventor, creator, designer, musician. When we praise the things He has created, we give Him glory. We can both praise the “performance” and celebrate the author of the play. Praise is a gift that God has given to us so that we might more fully experience the good gifts He has given to us. God deserves our praise because there is nothing greater than Him.

Psalms 103:2 (NIV)
Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits--

 

Tuesday, February 6, 2024

FINISHING WELL

 1 Corinthians 9:27 (NIV)

No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

               In my devotions I have been working my way through 1&2 Chronicles. One of the things that stood out to me as I came to the end of 2 Chronicles is how many kings of Judah started their reign well, following the Lord, but ended poorly.

               One example is King Joash. He became the king of Judah at the age of seven. He reigned for 40 years. For the first half of his reign, he was guided by Jehoiada the priest. Under the watchful eye of Jehoiada, Joash restored the Temple and genuine worship to God. But after Jehoiada died, Joash began listening to other voices. He turned away from the Lord and did evil in God’s sight.

               Paul must have been thinking about the history of the kings of Judah when he penned the words in 1 Corinthians 9.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (NIV)
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

               Paul knew all too well that it was possible to run a good race and stumble at the end. He challenged the Corinthians to keep their focus and to not give up the race. Paul set the example by the way he lived his life. He was not cocky or complacent. He was determined to run the race to the very end, to the best of his ability.

               One of the sad aspects of the church in America today is how many prominent Christian leaders have failed near the end of their race. Many of them had long, successful ministries. Many people were blessed by them and many came into the Kingdom through them. Yet, at some point they took their eyes off of the goal and failed to finish strong. Like Joash, they began listening to the wrong voices and the outcome was spiritual failure.

               I know that through Christ we can never fall out of God’s grace. But we can forfeit the prize and hinder the cause of Christ by our actions, if we are not careful. Satan is always on the lookout for new ways to trip us up. He knows where we are weak and vulnerable even better than we do. Nothing gives him more pleasure than to cause a believer to stumble and fall. Therefore, we need to always be on our guard. None of us are exempt from or immune to temptation. Daily we need to be aware of what is going on within us, not just what is going one around us. Often Satan uses external circumstances to blind us to his spiritual attacks. Peter reminds us that we must be vigilant at all times.

1 Peter 5:8 (NIV)
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

               Paul often used running a race as an illustration for the Christ life. As I look back over my life and my ministry, I realize that it has been a series of races embedded in one long spiritual marathon. I have run some of those races well and others not so well. Each race matters. I still have some races to run before me. My greatest desire is to run them in such a way that at the end I will not be disqualified for the prize.

Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV)
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

 

Tuesday, January 30, 2024

COMING TO GRIPS WITH LEGALISM

 Romans 2:1 (NIV)

You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.

               I am a recovering legalist. I say recovering because I am keenly aware that I have not conquered this flaw in my life. I was reminded of this as I drove into my office this morning.

               I have a 45-minute commute between my home and the church where I am serving currently. Often those are the most frustrating 45 minutes of my day. When I get on the freeway, I pull into the righthand lane and set my cruise control at 70 mph. Before long someone comes whizzing by me at a speed considerably greater than the speed limit. This does not happen once, but multiple times on my commute. Not only do I encounter people exceeding the speed limit, but I also have noticed an alarming number of people who are using their cell phones while they are speeding past me, even though it is against the law. We have had some bad weather lately; fog, snow, rain, low visibility. On one commute during these conditions, I counted over 20 cars without their headlights on. All these things, and a few more, cause me to be frustrated. I often make audible comments to my fellow commuters, which of course they cannot hear.

               One day God tapped me on the shoulder and reminded me that I was being a legalist. Have you never exceeded the speed limit? Have you never been distracted while you were driving? Have you never cut someone off unintentionally? Have you never failed to yield to another driver? Have you never forgotten to turn on your headlights? The obvious answer to all of these questions is no.

               I grew up a legalist. No one formally taught me to be a legalist, I just picked it up on my own. Somehow, I fell into the trap of works righteousness. I felt that I had to keep all the rules for God to accept me. I worked hard to be a rule keeper and routinely beat myself up when I failed. But I did something else as well. I started applying the rules, as I saw them, to others. I began judging others by how well they kept the rules.

               I have worked hard to break free from this trap. I have learned to accept God’s grace and recognize that there is nothing I can do to earn it. I have become more gracious with others when they see theological issues differently than I do. I have learned to extend grace to others more freely. But I still have a long way to go. My daily commute is a daily reminder that I have not arrived.

               Paul addressed this same issue with some of the people in the church at Rome. In Romans 1, Paul outlined the state of his fallen world. He painted a pretty bleak picture. There were those in the church who were probably applauding Paul’s words. They were standing in line to be some of the first to cast stones at those evil doers. Then Paul turned the tables on them. He challenged them to look in the mirror. What right did they have to judge others when they were doing the same things? I don’t think that Paul was saying that they were engaged in the evil acts he had just outlined, but that they were sinning in other ways. They were really no different. They had missed the point that no one can earn God’s favor by keeping the Law. It is totally a free gift of His grace.

Romans 2:2-4 (NIV)
Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?

               There is no doubt that God is concerned about sin. But it is not my job to be the accuser of others. I have enough sin of my own to account for. Praise God that He is gracious and that if we come to Him in genuine repentance, He will forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

               God has been teaching me to be less judgmental and more gracious toward others. I have made significant progress, but I have not arrived. I am reminded every time I get on the freeway.

Matthew 7:1-5 (NIV)
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.”

 

Tuesday, January 23, 2024

WHAT’S YOUR DESTINATION

 Hebrews 11:8-10 (NIV)

By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

               I have been rereading Tim Keller’s book on prayer. Early in the book he talks about prayer as an act of pilgrimage, seeking after God. I was struck by the idea of a pilgrimage. It is not a part of my faith tradition, but I am familiar with the concept. I looked up pilgrimage on the internet and found this definition from the encyclopedia Britannica.

Pilgrimage, a journey undertaken for a religious motive. Although some pilgrims have wandered continuously with no fixed destination, pilgrims more commonly seek a specific place that has been sanctified by association with a divinity or other holy personage. The institution of pilgrimage is evident in all world religions and was also important in the pagan religions of ancient Greece and Rome.

               All kinds of people take pilgrimages for a variety of reasons. Muslims make a concerted effort to make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lifetime. Many Roman Catholics make a pilgrimage to Rome. Many Christians make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in an effort to get closer to the places where Jesus walked. Other religions encourage pilgrimages as well.

               The problem with all of these different pilgrimages is that they fall short of the goal. It is not that they are bad, necessarily, just that they are short-sighted. The writer of Hebrews talks about a very different kind of pilgrimage. He first refers to Abraham, who in faith obeyed God and followed Him to a land he did not know. Then he expands this idea to include a broader scope of people.

Hebrews 11:13-16 (NIV)
All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country--a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

               Paul and Peter both pick up on this idea of the ultimate pilgrimage. Peter challenges us to live as aliens ands stranger in this world, refusing to settle down and make our home here. We have been called to something far higher and far greater.

1 Peter 2:9-11 (NIV)
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.

               Paul challenges us to focus on the kingdom to come rather than the kingdom of this world.

Philippians 3:20-21 (NIV)
But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

               A friend of mine recently reminded me of song we used to sing quite often, This World is not My Home. “This world is not my home, I just 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.” We are on a journey to a specific destination, where we will be with Christ in His glory.

               Many people use the idea of being on a journey to describe our lives. It is a powerful image, but it is possible to be on a journey that takes us nowhere. A pilgrimage is different. It has a specific destination in mind. For those of us who are followers of Jesus, that destination is Christ’s presence in Heaven.

               I know how easy it is to forget that we are on pilgrimage and that this world is not our home. It is easy for us to get discouraged along the way. It is tempting to give up the rigors of a pilgrimage and settle for an easier path. But we need to keep our eyes on the goal. Again, Paul addressed this challenge in his letter to the Corinthians.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NIV)
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

               I am intrigued by the idea of being on pilgrimage. It challenges me to see the hardships of life as a part of the adventure. It gives me the energy to keep moving forward. It challenges me not to give up and settle for something less. For those of us who are followers of Jesus, our entire life is a pilgrimage toward an eternal goal.

Philippians 3:12-14 (NIV)
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.