We sing songs about being pilgrims on our way home, We sing that this world is not our home; we’re just passing through. These songs and others like them speak of our temporary life that appears as a vapor and then vanishes away. Yet, there is a sense that this world is our home. After all, it was created by God specifically for us. We are the pinnacle of His creation, and as His image bearers, He created this world specifically for us.
From the beginning, God intended man to live and commune with Him, even in this world. He made this world a perfect place for us to live and thrive under His rule and authority, even as we exerted our bequeathed sovereignty over this world. But sin ruined what God intended, and we lost the gift of communion with our God.
We know the Gospel story, don’t we? God didn’t stand by while we were without hope. He spent the next few thousand years restoring what we lost. His ultimate goal for man was to redeem us and give back what He intended for us from the beginning.
We see microcosms of this redemption throughout His word. Israel was given a land flowing with milk and honey, and when they lost it, God moved through history in His sovereignty to give back their home and once again make them His people who dwelled with Him.
But that was just a foretaste of the true redemption God had in mind. He wasn’t content to just redeem the Jewish people, He wanted to redeem all of Adam’s race back to Him. He wanted to wrest back from the powers and principalities that which was lost, and that included every man and woman He created in His image.
Whether it was the land flowing with milk and honey or the paradise God has prepared for us, we have a habit of taking our eyes off of home. We settle down and grow comfortable in the land we find ourselves in, and it’s easy to forget that we are strangers in this land, just passing through until God gives us our true home with Him. Until then, we make a temporary home here as we enjoy His rich blessing for us.
But sometimes, the things the world offers cause us to forget our true journey. Sometimes, we look around and fall in love with this temporary, fallen world which is precisely what Satan wants each of us to do. He has no hope, and in his hatred of God, He is determined to tempt mankind to take our eyes off of the journey the Spirit is leading us on. Satan is determined to convince us to put down roots in this wicked world.
What does that mean? What does it look like to put down roots in this wicked world? Really, it’s nothing new. Satan is not that creative. He seems always to go back to the things that have always worked. Unfortunately, we seem prone to always fall for these same schemes. Just like the forbidden fruit, Satan entices us to see the pleasure of the world as we remove our eyes from the journey we are on. James reminds us,
“You adulterous people! 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 ESV).
While we must live in the world, we need to be careful that we do not put down our roots here. We must not get so caught up with living in this world that we forget how close our real home is. The apostle John goes further in his warning to tell us,
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world--the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life--is not from the Father but is from the world.
And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” (1 John 2:15-17 ESV).
In essence, John is telling us not to put down roots in this wicked world. Satan lies by making us believe there is something permanent for our roots to take hold of. The only things we can anchor in are the promises of God. The Psalmist tells us this man is like a tree whose roots grow deep by the river:
“He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.” (Psalm 1:3 ESV).
Jesus tells us the roots in God, His word, and His promises are like a house whose foundation is built on solid rock:
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” (Matthew 7:24 ESV).
So, does this mean we must not enjoy our life in this world? Not at all. God gives us pleasures and blessings here. This world is still His gift to us. But unfortunately, sin still permeates this world, and the pleasures it offers can cause us to focus more on it and less on our pilgrimage home. Jesus warns us about this in many ways.
Whether it's the parable of the five unprepared virgins or the servant who acted wickedly while the master was away, Jesus warns of the dangers of taking our eyes off the goal and focusing on the sin and selfishness that flood this world. Peter reminds us of the coming destruction of the world as the new heavens and the new earth are set to replace it. Peter’s question is simply, “Is this world really where we think we can lay down roots?”
Laying down roots in a wicked world doesn’t always seem like a really bad thing, does it? But when we do, we are making a choice of what to focus on in life. It’s the same thing Adam and Eve did, the same thing the Israelites did, and the same thing we find ourselves doing much too often. The danger in laying down roots in this wicked world is that one day, the Lord will come, and we will find ourselves anchored here, not on the journey with Him. We will find ourselves unprepared and settled into a temporary home with no preparation for the coming age we have been invited to.
And this is what Satan wants from us. He wants us to take our eyes off the journey and trade our birthright for a mess of pottage. He wants us to be mesmerized and fascinated with the pleasure of sin and of this world enough to take our eyes off of our true and lasting home. He wants us to put down roots in a world that will be burned up when paradise arrives.
“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.” (2 Peter 3:10 ESV).
So, here is my advice I believe is supported by Scripture:
Enjoy life on the earth God has created for us, but never forget this is not our permanent home. Don’t live like it is.
The world has a lot of blessings, but it also has a lot of temptations and curses. Be careful where we put our hearts.
Life seems permanent here on earth until it’s not; it can change in the twinkling of an eye. Always live in this world as though we will see Jesus at any moment.
Each day, plan how we will walk with Jesus. The moment we quit planning our walk with Him is the moment our lamps may run out of oil at the most inopportune time.
Pray. Read.
Pray and read some more.
When we are tempted to settle in, take a moment to find a struggling image bearer of God who needs to hear about the journey we are on and invite them on our pilgrimage.
Live each day as though this is our last day on earth, and tomorrow, we will be at rest in heaven.
As we make plans while traveling through life, let’s make sure our roots are not so deep that they anchor us here.
Make sure we do not have a death grip so tight on the things we hold in this life that we cannot release them when we are called to do so.
Finally, let us not make decisions in life that cause us to put down roots in this wicked world and miss the hope we have as pilgrims to a far better home.
On June 21st, 2024, I will be 20,000 days old. I'm not sure that means anything, except I can only imagine how much work I left on the table for the Lord by wasting many of those days.
No wonder it's so easy to get lulled into a sense of complacency that loses its urgency. Watching 20,000 sunrises and sunsets can make you believe that you have thousands more left to see.
But one day, I will see the last one. Will my lamp be trimmed and prepared when it happens?
“knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires.
They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.”“ (2 Peter 3:3-4 ESV).
I wonder how many sunrises and sunsets the loudest scoffers will see in the last days when Jesus finally returns.
There is a lot said in our society about freedom of choice. It may surprise many of you that I concur we have freedom of choice to do what we want. This is granted by our Creator.
We have freedom of choice over our bodies, freedom of choice over the actions we take in the privacy of our homes, and freedom of choice over how we treat other people.
But we don't have freedom from the consequences resulting from our choices.
“For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:14 ESV).
I am in the book of Matthew in my daily Bible reading. This time around, I am beginning my reading by watching the epic video that has no dialog except the word-for-word reading of the word of God set against the video background of actors portraying the Bible story.
I incorporate these videos once every one to two years. It is a unique way to experience your daily Bible reading. The company that produced Matthew also produces Mark, Luke, and John. Another company produces a similar word-for-word production of the book of Acts.
If you are interested in a different, unique way to experience your Bible reading set in video, here are the links to the videos.
Matthew
https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B079Q938MN
Mark
https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0BZ96Z6SX
Luke
https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0B69F6BY1
John
https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B015TBQT22
Acts
https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B07MVNXDWY.
I am in the book of Matthew in my daily Bible reading. In a few words, Matthew tells us, “and Jesus healed them.” We read those few words with little thought as we move to the next part of the Gospel story.
But those few words undoubtedly left an amazing, life-altering impact upon thousands of people throughout His ministry. We only know the details of the few people the Spirit chose to give us. But to the others that we only know, “He healed them,” the impact was no less great.
The same is true today. To those who choose to kneel to King Jesus, allegiance to Him will impact us in a way nothing else can. Our story of faith may not be known to hundreds or thousands of people, but it is no less impactful than the stories that our whole generation hears about.
Jesus is not a leader who seeks the limelight by choosing to help those who have a flashy, memorable story that glorifies Him in a very public way. He is glorified by giving life-altering redemption and salvation to the lost sheep no one may ever hear about.
The glory of our King comes through His humility, though He is the greatest being in the universe. What we see in others publically is the tip of the iceberg of His magnificent power and glory that exists in overwhelming ways most will never know.
I love it when I read, “and Jesus healed them,” because it is undeniable evidence that our Lord and King gives His amazing gift to all who seek it, no matter how many or few people will ever know of what He has done.
The Bible tells us to stop telling lies.
“Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.” (Ephesians 4:25 ESV).
Why?
Because God hates it when we lie.
“Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, but those who act faithfully are his delight.” (Proverbs 12:22 ESV).
God wants us to be people of truth. He hates lies.
Aside from dying, the only promises we break that we'll not be held accountable for keeping will be the ones broken because the Lord returns before we can keep them.
Until that day, let's live up to the standards of our position as royal family members.
Why do I love Jesus?
When I was lost, He left all of you to find me.
“What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray?” (Matthew 18:12 ESV).
It's one thing to read about Jesus getting angry and pronouncing woes in the book of Matthew. It's another thing to see it played out in a word-for-word portrayal on video.
Watching a video of Jesus angrily pronouncing woes upon people gives great insights into the Jesus we will stand before on the Day of Judgment.
Jesus is full of grace and mercy, but He also is a God who has, and will, pronounce woes.
We ignore this aspect of King Jesus at our own peril.
I wonder if those who think it is easy to follow Jesus and there is no responsibility on our part have ever read the Gospels or the words of Jesus found in them.
I am in the book of Matthew in my daily Bible reading. While Pilate was trying to release Jesus, the crowd grew more and more agitated in their bloodlust to exterminate the Son of God.
“So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves.”“ (Matthew 27:24 ESV).
Then, the people did what we often do. They claimed responsibility with no thought of what that really meant.
“And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!”“ (Matthew 27:25 ESV).
How many times have we said something similar? Every time we say something like,
“If I go to hell for living the way I do, then so be it.”
“I just can't give up what Jesus is asking me to give up, even if that means I cannot go to heaven.”
“You cannot expect me to choose my religion over my family. I will stand by them whatever it the cost.”
Anytime we say we will do what we want, whatever the consequences, we are joining in with the people who called for Jesus' crucifixion when they said, “His blood be on us and on our children!”
If we are not careful, we will find that God has granted our request. When He does, we will try to do what Pilate did and wash our hands of the very guilt we were so willing to take on.
Months later, these same people were incensed when the apostles laid the guilt of murdering Jesus at their feet:
“saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man's blood upon us.” (Acts 5:28 ESV).
Before we are quick to accept the consequences of our choices, let us remember it's not an academic exercise we engage in. When we wash our hands to Jesus and accept the consequences for doing so, there will be a day of reckoning. When that day comes, there is no walking away from the choices we made.
Do we accept Jesus as Lord of our lives?
There's the problem...
He is Lord of our lives whether we accept His Lorship or not.
The better question is, “Are we living under the Lordship of King Jesus?”
“And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” (Matthew 28:18 ESV).
I understand that there is a choice we must make in accepting Jesus, but whether we do or not does not change the inherent Lordship of Jesus.
He is, and always will be Lord whether we accept Him or not.
We either bend the knee now to Him as Lord or we bend the knee later as His conquered foe.
For every person we look at and wish we had their life, there are thousands of people who look at us and wish they had ours.
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world--the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life--is not from the Father but is from the world.
And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” (1 John 2:15-17 ESV).