One of the
advantages I have from being abandoned at birth is that I can never feel at
home in this world. There is no desire
to settle down here. I want to keep
walking; keep moving along my heavenward journey. A. E. Brumley penned this beautiful hymn
nearly a century ago that captures the sentiment so very well.
This world is not my home
I’m just a-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.
When I was eleven
years old, I was united with my parents but it never felt like home. I gave my life to Christ at eighteen and once
again I had to hear my father denounce me saying that I would have no share in family
inheritance. Those words of warning fell
in my deaf ears as Christ had become everything to me. When my earthly father was denouncing me, I
could hear my Lord say “in my father’s house are many mansions” (John 14:2) and
“I have come that they (you) may have life and have it abundantly” (John
10:10).
It is now almost
35 years and his abundance continues to amaze me here on earth and his visions
of mansions in celestial city never fail to excite me on this heavenward
journey. “Times of refreshing” keep
waiting for me at every turn and steep; when my journey gets harder and burden
gets heavier (Acts 3:19). He keeps
preparing a “table before me in the presence of my enemies” (Ps. 23:5).
Many children of
God live unfulfilled life because they focus too much on the things of this
world. Seldom do they set their minds on
the things of heaven. The Bible says; “Set
your mind on things above, not on earthly things” (Col. 3:2). Going against the written word of God in the
Bible will always invite lack and misery.
Knowing how
setting our mind on earthly things makes us miserable, Jesus said; “do not
worry saying ‘what shall we eat?’ or ‘what shall we drink?’ or what shall we
wear?’ … your heavenly father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his
righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matt.
6:31-33).
The amazing
thing about living by faith in God is that even though we are not thinking
about the earthly things, God in his divine grace meets all our needs according
to his richness in glory (Phil. 4:19). The
more we seek heavenly things, the more God supplies our earthly things!
For those who
have never experienced divine provision in life, this may sound very
strange. But those who truly seek God’s
kingdom and righteousness can testify how a carefree life it is to live by
faith! We don’t have to have a care in
the world for our material needs because God cares for us (1 Peter 5:7).
Sadly, if we don’t
choose to live by faith, then, we choose to live by greed, and greed chokes everything
out of life. Jesus said; “the cares of
this life, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desire for other things come in
and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful” (Mark 4:19). What a waste of life!
On the other
hand, if you “delight yourself in the Lord, he will give you the desires of
your heart” (Psalms 37:4). In other
words, if you are grateful to the Lord for small things in life, he will give
you big things that surprise you. And,
not to mention the mansions in father’s house!
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