Not Home Yet

I heard a story about an old missionary couple who had been serving in Africa for years and were returning home to retire. Their health was broken down, and they had no pension. As it turned out, the same steamer ship they were traveling on had a very well-known passenger, President Teddy Roosevelt, who was returning home from a hunting expedition. As the passengers disembarked, a crowd of admirers gathered around. They were all there to greet the president of the United States. A band was playing, and the cheers of the crowd were deafening.

But when the missionary couple came ashore, there was no band playing for them. There was no applause. There was no one to welcome them—not a single soul to meet them. Discouraged, the husband buried his face in his hands and moaned, “God, I didn’t expect a band or a parade, but someone could have seen to it to welcome us home.”

Hearing this, his wife looked at him and said, “Now, honey, we are not home yet.”

One of the costs of following Christ is the challenge of living in a place that’s not our home. This creates an inescapable tension. We can’t ignore our earthly responsibilities. We must involve ourselves in many different aspects of life on this planet. At the same time, we can’t become too comfortable in our earthly environment. We must keep the prevailing attitudes and priorities of this world at arm’s length. And we must keep one eye trained on our forever home so that we never lose sight of our ultimate destination.

God’s Word makes it clear that believers are not home yet, but one day we will be. The author of Hebrews wrote, “For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come” (Hebrews 13:14 NLT).

We have no say in the timing of our eventual homecoming. God will call us home according to His timetable. Our job, until that day, is to be faithful with the opportunities and resources He has given to us. There are some people who simply “go for it” as Christians. They take risks for God. They want to do great things for Him. They give it everything they have. Then there are others who want to serve the Lord, but in a more cautious, careful manner. Some people are setting the world on fire while others are still looking for a match.

God has equipped us for our sojourn in this world. We must focus on being faithful to Him and using the gifts, opportunities, and resources He’s given us. This world may not be our home, but while we’re here, we can make a big difference in it.

Reflection question: How do you deal with the challenge of living day to day in a place that isn’t your home? Discuss this with believers like you on Harvest Discipleship!

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