Point to Ponder: This world is not our home.
Insight: “Lord, help me to realize how brief my time on earth will be. Help me to know that I am here for but a moment more.”
Life is described as a mist, a fast runner, a breath, and a wisp of smoke. The bible says, “For we were born but yesterday…Our days on earth are as transient as a shadow.”
To make the best use of our life, we must never forget two truths: First, compared with eternity, life is extremely brief. Second, earth is only a temporary residence.
The bible compares our lives on earth to temporarily living in a foreign country. It uses terms such as alien, pilgrim, foreigner, stranger, visitor, and traveler to describe our brief stay on earth.
Rick Warren states, “our identity is in eternity, and our homeland is heaven.” He notes that when we grasp this truth, we will stop worrying about “having it all” on earth. He writes that the fact that earth is not our ultimate home explains why, as followers of Jesus, we experience difficulty, sorrow, and rejection in this world. It also explains why some of God’s promises seem unfair. This is not the end of the story.
In order to keep us from becoming too attached to earth, God allows us to feel a significant amount of discontent and dissatisfaction in life—longings that will never be fulfilled on this side of eternity. We’re not completely happy here because we were created for something much better.
Realizing that life on earth is just a temporary assignment should radically alter our values. Our time on earth is not the complete story of our life. We must wait until heaven for the rest of the chapters. It takes faith to live on earth like a foreigner.
My thoughts: Wow, this was a heavy chapter to digest. As I finished reading, I sat and thought about it. I had a discussion with my mother about it and I said to her, “Mom, I know that I know that I know there is God and I believe in Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit but this eternal life is difficult for me to phantom.” She smiled and agreed. The book says to ask God to help us see life on earth as he sees it. So I prayed and I asked God to show me life in eternity. I am a dreamer, which means God speaks to me in dreams so he gave me a dream. I knew when I woke up that He showed me in the dream a “very tiny piece” of heaven. It was glorious! I still don’t understand the vastness of His kingdom but I am starting to understand that there is more to this world and I am looking forward to learning more about our life in eternity.
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