Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, I Peter 2:11 NKJV
That's what we are. We are only sojourners and strangers on this earth. That can be lonely. We are set apart from this world. However, what we have received is our heavenly citizenship and that is eternal (Ephesians 2:19). Peter writes about fleshly desires that battle against our souls. From our flesh bad thoughts are put into our mind that wage war against our soul. And if we give in to that, we will slowly but surely lose our view of the Lord Jesus.
Jesus speaks in Matthew 13 about the seed that is sown but the thorns spring up and choke it (Matthew 13:7,22). The cares for this world and the riches make the Word unfruitful. We might not be under severe oppression like many Christians in Syria, Congo, Nigeria or countries in Asia such as North Korea or China. There you are abused, oppressed or even murdered because you are a Christian. Our oppression, a silent killer, is the cares and riches of this world. How quickly our hearts go out to material things or career or vacation or recognition. You have to be able to enjoy yourself, that is true, but that is sometimes presented as if it is separate from Jesus our Lord. As if following Him is a burden and not a joy. Jesus did not come to bring us slavery but freedom.
Jesus came to do the Will of the Father (Hebrews 10:7). Does that also apply to us? Do we want to do His will in the days that we have left here on earth? If we are not sojourners or strangers, then I am afraid that our state already resembles that of the thorns. For many people, faith in the Lord Jesus complements their life, but it is not their life itself. They still talk about themselves as a person and how God fits into that. Coaches are now “Christian” coaches. It's all about us as individuals, our development. The Christian faith is increasingly blended with Western human experiences, wisdom and educational methods.
And not only that, it is also about our lives here and now. I myself have been blessed with riches in this world, but does that satisfy us? Isn't Jesus the only one that can satisfy us? It's not about how God fits into our lives, it's about whether we place our lives in His Hands. Are we willing to choose Him? Perhaps you are blessed with a good mind and are highly educated. Thank the Lord for that, but when that sense gets the better of you, when your career becomes more and more important, be careful not to pursue earthly desires. The honor of men is a snare, but the honor of God is not.
Our goal in this life is not to make it, to make a name for ourselves, to chase fleeting wealth. Is our goal Christ and Him crucified? Is our purpose in this corruptible flesh in which we live to follow Jesus wherever He goes? This does not mean that we all have to become missionaries. It means that Jesus Christ sits on the throne of our hearts and we follow Him. Jesus has given us the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, who comforts us in our loneliness, in the oppression and in the hatred that we can receive.
The Holy Spirit is becoming less and less known in the church. It is the Word and our experiences. But it is the Holy Spirit who teaches us to pray and reveals the Word to us. It is He who will take from Jesus and glorify Him. When I read about coaches or methods for Evangelizing I think: where is the Holy Spirit in all of this? Isn't it He who gives wisdom and ideas every time? Isn't it He who reveals God's Will for each of us personally for our lives?
These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. Hebrews 11:13 NKJV
The witnesses of faith from the First Testament. And we have received that fulfillment. We know Who they prophesied about and we have received the Holy Spirit. And they too are sojourners and strangers on earth just like us. For we groan and long to be clothed with our habitation from heaven (2 Corinthians 5:2). That is our real home. But if we long for this world and this world holds us, do we want to be clothed? Maybe you have ambitions, desires, I am not saying that you should give all that up, but let Jesus Christ be your Guide through the Holy Spirit. He knows what is best for all of us. Then the fleshly desires will become less and less and you will see that this struggle becomes less. Jesus will never arouse fleshly desires in us, it is He who fulfills, no one else can do like He can.
Jesus calls us to lay up our treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:20). That means, just like the Old Testament saints, that we cannot see and touch it now as we could in this world. The only difference is that our earthly riches that we now have and can see all disappear. Our career, wealth, everything is temporary. In the end nothing remains. That is the case with the eternal. When Jesus says that we must lay up our treasures in heaven, you can assume that it is worth so much more than anything we can ever obtain on earth. Jesus was a “failure” from a worldly perspective. His brethren did not receive Him. The Romans mocked Him and crucified Him. He did not conquer the Romans like an earthly king. It all seemed hopeless. But Jesus rose from the dead. He broke the power of sin, He accomplished it. He conquered. And what was His treasure? All authority was given to him in heaven and on earth. He would see many offspring. And if that applies to our Master, then also to His disciples. Seek those things that are above, not those that are on earth. Then you will seek the Kingdom of God and everything else will be given to you. And He gives in abundance. Praise His Name.
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