Longing for a Better Home

The book of 1 Peter says were are sojourners and exiles in this world (1 Peter 2:11). When I first learned that verse, I was using the New International Version (before its current update), which says we are aliens and strangers. From my early days as a Christian, I knew that we were different from the rest of the world because of our faith in Jesus. We would be looked at as weird and even be mocked by those who hate the teachings of Christ.

As I get older and grown spiritually, I see the world more clearly. This world is not our permanent home. We are sojourners. We are temporary residents.

Watching the news on TV or reading about it can be heartbreaking. With the easy access we have to the media, we see what is going in our world in a instant. Yes, there are some good things that happen in this world that should cause us to rejoice, but there are other things that should makes long for a better home. There are times we should cry out, "Come Lord Jesus."

When we hear about the slaughter of innocent babies in abortion clinics, shootings in schools, floodings in major metropolitan areas, or rumors of wars, we should cry out, "Come Lord Jesus." I remember hearing Daniel Montgomery say, if your back goes out, we should cry, "Come Lord Jesus."

In Psalm 120, the psalmist wrote:

Woe to me, that I sojourn in Meshech,
that I dwell among the tents of Kedar!
Too long have I had my dwelling
among those who hate peace.
I am for peace,
but when I speak, they are for war! (Psalm 120:5-7)

Meshech is in far north of Israel. A friend of mine pointed out to me that he may have been living in the part of Israel where not all the people are of Israel. They were not the people of God. They were people who hated the things of God. Can we relate? We live in a world where people hate the things of God. They cling to worthless idols. They want their way of live to be the law of the land.

Sometimes living in America, I wish the Lord would come and make things right. Yes, we will see good things being done in this world whether by God's common grace to all or His provisions to us while we live in a fallen world. As we see things happen in this world, let us be mindful that true followers of Jesus are only here for a short while. We are passing through this world. We live for the glory of God. We are called to spread the gospel. We are long for a better home.