Just Temporary Residents

I’ve been fortunate enough to go on the mission field several times. Each trip is an unforgettable experience, but the truth is, I will not be moving to any of those places permanently.  I will simply be visiting.  And as Christians, this also describes our life here on earth.

First Peter 1:17 reads: "So if you call God your Father, live your time as temporary residents on earth in fear..." Our time here on earth is only temporary.  And this is the same for both believers and non-believers; the only thing which will be different is our final destination. 

So how does this apply to your ministry?

You are on a dual-pilgrimage—one for yourself, and another as a leader, showing others the way.

A pilgrim is defined as a person who journeys, especially a long distance, to some sacred place as an act of religious devotion.  It can also be defined as a traveler or wanderer in a foreign place.  To sojourn means to stay in a place temporarily.

To this day, countless numbers of people make the journey each year to the Holy Land to re-enact the steps of Jesus' ministry, trial, death and victorious resurrection—as an act of religious devotion.  I am sure the experience is unforgettable. 

But what about life?  Shouldn't our lives be the same way?  Shouldn't we be living in such a way that every step has purpose as a loving act of worship to our God?  Yes, most definitely.  But as a whole, believers have lost a fear of God, meaning our uncompromised respect which should constantly be motivating us as pilgrims.  Instead, we wake up each day thinking about our appointments, the next planning meeting, what we will wear (is anything clean?), the kid's lunch money, the after-school activities (our taxi service to our children), meals (do we need to go shopping or just eat out again?), etc., etc., etc.

The last thing we are thinking about is a pilgrimage.  Once or twice a week we sojourn down to the church to give God our worship and get a few tips on how to live as Christians.  But this “pilgrimage” isn’t an everyday thought for most of us. 

As a mom, wife, and ministry leader, I want to ask myself, do I live a life that honors God or would I just do it in the moment I was face to face with Him?

As you make preparations for change, take a moment and read Hebrews, chapter 11.  Each of these “Hall of Famers” had a great fear and respect for God.  They were different.  They were people of faith making a journey, an especially long journey, to a sacred place called Heaven as an act of their religious devotion to God. 

I pray, we too, would live in such a way that if there were ever to be a Volume 2 of Faith Hall of Famers, our names would be found there.

Daphne Delay is the founder of Mirror Ministries in Seminole, Texas. She has authored and self-published two books on the topic of Righteousness. Daphne has written over 200 articles on spiritual growth for subscribers to Mirror Ministries and other publications. She is the wife of a senior pastor and the mother of three. To find out more about Daphne, visiter her website at www.mirrorministires.org.