June 21

Live As Strangers

"Live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear." 1 Peter 1:17

How do we live as strangers? Strangers can enjoy their surroundings, and they may even take up temporary residence in a place, but they do not become attached. One day they will leave and return to the place they call home. This is the key to understanding what Peter is trying to tell us. Strangers know their situation is temporary: they will not be in this situation forever. So with us, our citizenship is in heaven, and we are but visitors here on earth. Our Father awaits us in heaven, our true home. So how do we live, while we find ourselves here on earth? Peter tells us to live in wholesome reverence and respect for our Father, for this is the very basis for godly living. If we live each day enjoying where the LORD has placed us, learning what we can learn here, taking it all in (the beauty, as well as the pain), and sharing it with our Father when we speak with Him in prayer, we will be living here as strangers. Our hearts will remain with our Father, and our longing will be to return home. Earth should have no hold on us; we are just visiting, and we look forward to going home. Our goal, our chief objective while living here on earth, is that we might bring glory and honor to our Father's name. May all who come in contact with us while we sojourn here on earth be impressed with the kind of son or daughter our Father calls his own. That is quite a calling; it is a challenge that we face every moment of every day. We cannot do it without our Father's input, though. We need to be in constant contact with Him because we need His guidance. Our Father is but a call away; be sure to talk with Him today.

Father, you have blessed us with the beauty of this earth! There is so much here to remind us of you. There is so much to see and do here, but we long for you. Let us never become attached to this world. Help us to learn all that you would have us learn while we are here on earth. You have placed us here for a purpose; help us to learn what that is and to grow from it. Father, help us to remember that our chief objective, while here on earth, is to bring you glory and honor. We want to make you proud of us. Help us to keep our focus on you until you bring us HOME. Amen