This World Is Not Your Home

This world is not your home...it isn't!  We need to start living faithfully for our actual Home.  This was pressed upon my heart this past week as I was reading Matthew 21

I seriously wrestle with how Jesus did it.  I sincerely want to be faithful like Jesus was and yet, I fail moreso than succeed.  Each time I fall i think to myself, how on earth did Jesus do it.  According to Hebrews 4 - "He was tempted in everyway that I am tempted and yet He did not sin"...HOW?  Then reading Matthew 21 on His way to the Cross (beginning process of passion week) He is riding a donkey.  He is fulfilling Scripture based off of Zechariah 9:9 - "look, your King is coming to you; He is righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey..."  While He is riding this donkey faithfully, the people are shouting Hosannah...Hosannah.  It is happening, we are being released from the oppression of the Romans...but please don't miss it friends.  We aren't being released from our oppressions of the "romans"...we are being released from the death of sin.  We are being ripped from the hands of the evil one named Satan.  Don't think Jesus came to make your life easy becasue if you focus on that you will miss Jesus dearly...but KNOW that Jesus came to save you, redeem you, rescue you, declare you as HIS from Satan.  Jesus coming was bigger than being released from oppression of the "romans", His coming was for your heart to be His heart...now that is big time.  That's worth rejoicing, dancing, and celebrating even in the hard times of oppression (whatever they may be in your life right now).  Sorry, back to my original thought.

As they are screaming hosannah loudly, they later on Friday will be screaming "crucify Him...crucify Him...let His blood be on us and our children...wait, what?  The same crowd that ushered Him in praising Him now want Him dead.  Why?  Because they wanted Him to make their lives easy and when they realized He didn't, they had no use of Him...they missed it friends.  Don't miss it.  But how on earth did He stay focus and not fail?  How did He utter from the Cross, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing...or asking...or thinking.  How did He do it?  How can we do it in this broken world?

The answer!  Focus on the Kingdom that we actually belong too and not this kingdom.  This kingdom that we live in right now is broken, can be hateful, is evil but most importantly, will be destroyed...but His Kingdom will never fade or be destroyed.  His Kingdom is peaceful, pure, holy, and right and is forever.  Live now for your real Home.  I think of Jesus, Paul, Stephen, Peter, other faithful men and women who died for their God and how did they do it?  They were consumed with their True Home.  What are we consumed with right now?  Here?  It is not worth it!  Heaven?  It is how we can keep marching faithfully while being shot at.  If you are consumed with Jesus, you are at war and you will be shot at everyday...thus as Peter says, "dear friends, do not be surprised when the fiery ordeal comes among you to test you as if something unusual were happening to you.  Instead, (you ready for this) rejoice as you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may also rejoice with great joy when His glory is revealed."(1 Peter 4:12-19).  Rejoice?  Yep, because as you are being shot at and keeping your eyes focused on His Kingdom, He is cheering you on.  We can do it for His Glory.  We can do it to show others the true Hope we have because we belong to a different Kingdom.  How did innocent Jesus suffer greatly at the sinful hands of humanity?  Because His attention was on His Father's Kingdom and because of that, He was able to say, "It is finished" and it was finished.  Be of good cheer because the best is yet to come my friends.  The best is yet to come.

Listen to this song as a final conclusion to my thoughts today:  Be ready!!!

https://youtu.be/Ze2paNPySGE