Temporary Residents

Have you ever given it a thought that when all these around you passes away and you close your eyes in the sleep of death, you are actually going and ending somewhere? The truth is the time you arrived this world and the time you will be exiting it you have no idea, but you will leave one day no matter how you feign ignorance or try to plan it! Whichever way, the question is: where will you be when you wake up? The Bible talks about eternity – earth is just a point in eternity it is not the destination. Whether you agree or not is immaterial; every man will end up there either to spend it in Heaven or Hell. The choice of where to spend it is not made after one embarks on the sleep of death but is a conscious choice the person makes whilst still alive. One amusing but sad theory is that when people die, they go nowhere as they end up as manure or reincarnate in the form of an animal, become one of the angels or even the stars. This is a terrible deceit of the devil. So many that hold on to this deceit will wake up in eternity in total surprise and dismay! Abraham said he was a foreigner on the earth; a foreigner connotes a temporary resident where he presently is and he has a destination and he is on his way there. Hebrews 11:8-10 tells us that despite the fact that he was promised an inheritance and he not only believed, the Bible says he was looking forward to the City that has foundations whose Architect and Builder is God. In other words, he believed God concerning the physical inheritance, he knew and understood there was a spiritual inheritance as well. He did not allow himself to get carried away with the physical inheritance that was temporary; his sights were set on the permanent! He even referred to this when in Genesis 23:4, he told the Hittites to sell him a piece of land to bury Sarah his wife. He declared that he was a pilgrim, temporary resident despite the fact that God had promised him the land. The Bible went on in Hebrews 11:13 that all the heroes of faith accepted and received the promises and they confessed that they were foreigners and temporary residents on the earth. Except we have this mindset, we will never set our sights in eternity with God. Paul by the Spirit puts it more clearly: “but our citizenship is in heaven from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” Philippians 3:20. As we celebrate the birth of our Lord, we must remember that He is not going to be returning as a baby in the manger, but as the KING of kings, LORD of lords and the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Only those that made choices to live their lives according to His dictates will go and be with Him for all eternity. Friend, in all you’re getting and celebrating, ponder on this: when all has been said and done, where will I spend eternity? Can the works presently in my hands guarantee me a place in eternity with God? Is there sync between my inner man and my outer man; am I the portrait of Jesus Christ? Friend the grace to make the necessary adjustments in order to reign with Him for all eternity is released to you in Jesus Name. God bless you.