A Dwelling Place, But Not Our Home

Psalms 119:19 I am a stranger in the earth; do not hide Your commandments from me.

Do we see ourselves as strangers? Are we walking on earth as born again believers who recognize the fact that this world is not our home? I know many of us would quickly respond that we do recognize this. Let us then consider this next question, "Do we live like we are strangers on earth?" We say that we believe that we are strangers, and pilgrims, here on earth; yet, we hold on to, and seek after, earthly things and treasures, as if this is our permanent home. We put more value on earthly things than on heavenly things. Many would say, "No, that's not true!" Okay...well then, let me ask this question, "How much time do we dedicate to prayer, reading and studying the Bible, and serving God; compared to our time wasted on social media, television, hobbies, and chasing the ever elusive dollar?" The psalmist made a very important request in this verse. While acknowledging that the earth was not his home, he also acknowledged that in order to survive here as a stranger, he needed God's Word. That is ever so true for us today. How do we navigate a place that is not our home without the proper guidance? I am old enough to remember the days of map books. I always kept one in my car, as it came in very handy when it came to navigating areas I had never been to before. Today we have this wonderful little contraption called a GPS. When we need to know how to get somewhere we have never visited before, or move into an area that is new to us, this little Global Positioning System comes in very handy. Well, as strangers in a world that is not our home, we need a GPS (God's Positioning System) to help us navigate life's twists and turns. The sooner we recognize, and acknowledge, the fact that this is not our home, and that we need the guidance found in God's Word, the better off we will be. However, let me remind us that a GPS does us no good if we insist on never turning it on in those moments when we know we are lost. So it is with God's Word when we refuse to dedicate real time to reading it, studying it, and prayerfully applying it, while we are sojourning in this world that is temporarily our dwelling place, but not our home.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 7:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).