“As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:” – 1 Pet. 2:2“Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;” – 1 Pet. 2:11
My earliest recollections of a religious song was hearing my mother singing “This world is not my home”. Many years later when I received Christ as my Savior that song became real to me. However, although this world is not our home it is where we must live until God calls us home. And as we struggle through this wicked world we need to remember the words of another song that says, “I’m nearer home than I was yesterday”. That is true for every Christian and living with the hope of heaven in our heart can be very helpful. Thinking about the brevity of life should cause us to “apply our hearts unto wisdom” ( Ps. 90:12), which affects us in many ways. Applying your heart unto wisdom is to walk wisely, which is to walk in the ways of the Lord. But to do that we must spend time in the word of the Lord. Since no Christian gets all he needs by attending all the church services, everyone needs to study the Bible personally everyday. You will be glad you did. It will literally change your life.
Now back to the song. The chorus says, “I’m closer to God, along life’s way”. Can the same be said of you? Some folks attend every service, serve in a ministry, and give generously, yet they are no closer to God than they were years ago. Somewhere along the way their spiritual growth came to a standstill and they’ve been stuck there ever since. And sadly they see no need to change – after all they are doing what good Christians do – so they say. What they’re doing might put them miles ahead of the average church member, but there is a difference between average and normal. Comparing ourselves to others isn’t wise or sufficient. Christ is our example, so there is always room for improvement and it’s normal to grow. If your spiritual life is stagnated you need to spend more time in God’s word. It isn’t all about just getting home to heaven. Our eternal rewards will be based on what we’ve done here on earth. And many things are taken into account, one of which is the degree of our likeness to Christ ( 1 Cor. 15:40-42). Until the day we enter our heavenly home, where we will be like Him ( 1 John 3:2), we ought to be growing in our likeness to Christ. I love to hear my wife sing, “We’re not home yet children”, it reminds me that the best is yet to come. As strangers and pilgrims we can expect hardships in this world, but when we get home all those will pass away. You can have that blessed assurance by placing your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. – HDS
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346
