Today’s passage:
“But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.” II Peter 3:13
Society is filled with distractions these days. Back in the “good old days”, or so I hear, after working in the fields or on the farm, everyone relaxed on the porch swing and enjoyed the sounds of nature at its best. If you didn’t live in town, you found something simple and stressful to pass your time. Families ate together every evening and Sunday dinner (lunch to those not raised in the South) was a huge buffet that was covered with a tablecloth so that Mom didn’t have to cook multiple meals on the Lord’s Day.
Now, each family member can pop in a single portion sized microwave meal at his or her convenience. We have satellite radio, Internet connection, cable and satellite TV, video games, cellular phones, personal data assistants, laptops and on and on… The electronic revolution allows us to watch movies, buy a car or even build and tend cartoon farms with just a few clicks of the mouse. Studies have shown that a large number of employees, especially those in management, continue to monitor emails and handle e-business long after they have left the office physically.
While the world of gadgets allows us to more quickly and efficiently handle business transactions, balance our checkbooks and connect with friends, we can become so absorbed in distractions that we forget about the most important things in life: God, our families and friends, and the lost souls around us. Thankfully, there are examples in the Bible to help us get “back on track”.
The Israelites were commanded not to make idols to worship (Exodus 20, Leviticus 19). While it may seem ridiculous to us today to imagine people carving images such as golden calves to worship, it is just as displeasing to God for us to turn our jobs, entertainment, hobbies and interests into priorities that do not allow us time enough to worship Him. In effect, they become our idols when we spend our waking moments considering how we can further be involved in worldly activities to the detriment of our Christian duties.
Jesus told his disciples, “…for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Luke 12:34). The same is true of us today. What do we consider our treasures? If God, are we spending precious time with Him in prayer and meditation of His Word daily? If our families, are we giving them quantity time in addition to quality time?
I am convinced that most of us do not begin with the intention to neglect our Father, our church family or our biological families and often are not even aware until it is too late that we have done so. We can become so tangled up in the world that we forget our intended role as sojourners and become as comfortable as Lot’s family before Sodom was destroyed. We are to live in the world but we are not to become so much a part of it that our lives are indistinguishable from those who practice sin.
Sometimes I find myself singing familiar hymns during worship as if I am on autopilot. I struggle continually to ensure that I make a conscience effort to focus on the message of the song. The old song “This World is Not My Home” is a great example of what our outlook should be toward the world and the things in the world. The lyrics have been included below so that we can appreciate the message that the author makes.
THIS WORLD IS NOT MY HOME
by: J. R. Baxter, Jr.
1. This world is not my home, I'm just a-passing throughMy treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue.The angels beckon me from heaven's open door,And I can't feel at home in this world anymore.
CHORUS:O Lord, I know, I have no friend like You.If heaven's not my home, then Lord, what can I do?The angels beckon me from heaven's open door,And I can't feel at home in this world anymore.
2. My Savior pardoned me from guilt and shame, I know.I'll trust His saving grace while trav'ling here below.I know He'll welcome me at heaven's open door,And I can't feel at home in this world anymore.
3. I have a precious mother up in glorylandI don't expect to stop until I clasp her hand.For me she's waiting now at heaven's open door,And I can't feel at home in this world anymore.
4. The saints in gloryland are shouting victory,I want to join their band and live eternally;I hear the sweetest praise from heaven's open door,And I can't feel at home in this world anymore.
May we remember that we are sojourners in this land; we are visiting for a time in order to lead others to Christ as we journey through, but our permanent home is not here. Just as Abraham considered himself a sojourner in Genesis 23 and David did so in Psalm 39, we are also heading to a better land. Our home is not forever here to experience pain and heartache. We are “just a-passing through” to live with God forever in the home He has provided!
