As Christ followers, we have been given a great assurance that in Heaven we have a beautiful home awaiting us, a loving Father, and a great cloud of witnesses cheering us on toward the finish line. The welcome mat is out for those who make their way home today. The lights are on in Heaven.
But here, on this broken Earth, those of us who remain, we sojourn as exiles.
“In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”
John 14:2-3 ESV
But we sojourn not alone. The Holy Spirit remains with us. We abide in Jesus. His word is our sustenance. He is our manna. His resurrected life is our Living Water to quench our thirst.
“Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;”
1 Peter 1:22-23 ESV
And we fulfill our days in His example of prayer in solitude, conversation with Our Father, and the fellowship of communion. Our mission is to live out the familial love and peace of community, which awaits us in eternity, except through our intimacy with Christ, we are asked to exemplify such love and peace here.
“These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.”
Hebrews 11:13-16 ESV
Our lives are meant to reveal a bit of Heaven to the lost person next to me. The hurting and shame-filled people who bump into my life, seemingly by accident, are purposeful by His design, so that they will glimpse Christ and want to receive His invitation to adoption in God’s family.
In your lifetime, dear Reader, have you ever felt more like an exile, a sojourner in a strange land?
Maybe I’m just feeling my age, and the lights of Heaven are becoming apparent on the horizon. Or maybe, the differentiation between light and dark has become much more obvious in our current day. I’m not sure of the correct assessment and maybe it’s all of the above.
Regardless, I sense a growing urgency to reveal Heaven as my true home. I am aware that revival is happening because people are coming easily and willingly to church, to Bible study and into conversation about Christ. No longer are we striving to find someone interested in the truth of the Gospel. Now we simply show up, prepared in prayer, fed by His Word, with anticipation that the Holy Spirit has gone before us to prepare the soil.
I’ve never felt more like a sojourner and exile on this broken Earth, and I’ve never been so excited to be alive and in the service of my King, Jesus Christ. Thank You, Lord God, for choosing me. I curtsy before Your Throne, and give thanks for You are good; Your steadfast love endures forever.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.”
Hebrews 12:1-3 ESV
Father, I am standing on tiptoes of anticipation to see this brilliant new thing You are doing in all the Earth. Today I ponder upon Your long-ago whisper to my weary heart, “Watch, dear girl, it’s gonna be bigger than the Grand Canyon!”
How about you, dear Reader? Are you a fellow exile and sojourner? How do you want to respond in these days when the Holy Spirit is pouring Himself out, the fields are ripe, and the workers are few?
Eyes on Jesus and Shine,
Lisa
Thank you, Joanne Viola, for the feature on Let’s Have Coffee this week. Thank you for your hope-filled life-giving post this week.
Click below for a video teaching on Exile by The Bible Project:
https://bibleproject.com/videos/exile/
Random Radiance: How a random word can lead your thoughts to Jesus, is the book you help write. This is an interactive book, which includes my own stories, coloring pictures, and lined pages with word prompts so that you can write your own stories. Thank you in advance for purchasing my books.
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Thank you, Jerralea! I agree with you whether it is the end for me or Jesus is soon to return, may we be found joyfully working and serving the Lord, Jesus Christ, until our last moment. Glory to God for His kindness endures forever!
Eyes on Jesus and Shine,
Lisa
“I sense a growing urgency to reveal Heaven as my true home.” Amen! The end is drawing near. My prayer is to be used to make a difference before my time here is up.