Sojourner
I haven't really explained why I picked my blog title: "Sojourning the Earth. Settling for Eternity". www.thefreedictionary.com defines the word "sojourn" as a temporary stay; a brief period of residence. That definition nails it! Everybody, here on earth, is a sojourner. You. Me. Everyone. We are made in the image of God. Consequently, we are made as eternal beings. We are made to inherently have the desire for eternal life. I think that's why lots of people are quite dissatisfied with their lives. They look for gains and pleasures from the world, yet they try to ignore the fact that those things don't last forever. It's quite a shock for me to remind myself that everything in this life is temporary.
"Those who use the things of the world should not become attached to them. For this world as we know it will soon pass away." -1 Corinthians 7:31 (NLT)
When I look with the lenses of this verse, I gain a new perspective. It makes me realize that some of the stuff that I sought after are, for lack of a better word, meaningless. I always admire my roommate, SC, in the lifestyle that he lived with. SC is a very simple man, who always focus on his relationship with Jesus. This simple lifestyle that SC is living does remind me of Christ. Christ doesn't chase after the latest trend of stuff in life nor does he care about what the world has to offer to him. In actual, it was the reverse. Instead, he offered himself to the world, to redeem us from the snares of sin and death. He also desires every individual in this world to come and know who he really is. Jesus isn't just some prophet, or a historical figure, or a cultural icon. He is alive! A living, breathing God who loves the people of this world immensely. He doesn't need the things of the world, because he is not of this world. In turn, I aspire to live my life in the way of Jesus Christ. I'm not just talking about my materialistic wants in life. I'm also including the relationships that I've built and invested in. I have often caught myself in the danger of needing to be approved by others. It's quite a sad thing when I look back... how I desire to be around people more than spending some alone time with God. I kept asking myself why that is the case... is it because I feel that God is distant? Or maybe because I feel that he's never really there or even listening to my rant. Whatever the case may be, those thoughts are lies and I desire to set aside more time for God. Even if I don't hear anything, I know that he is there listening to me.
I want to end off every blog with a prayer. God answers prayer but we as Christians must also do our part in motivating ourselves to change what we think is best for us with what is God's actual will for us consists of.
Father God, I don't want to be called a sojourner in this temporary world. Instead, I want to prepare myself to become a citizen of heaven. I want to be filled with your love and I desire to spend eternity with you. So help me, Jesus, to live like how you lived. Not to focus on what I need, but on what your will is for me. Help me to start asking the questions: who can I show your love to today? Who in my life, that have hurt me, must I forgive? What are the things in my life that are preventing you from shaping the man of God you want me to become?
Finally, I'll end off with the famous words of Switchfoot:
Gone, like yesterday is gone,
Like history is
Gone, just trying to prove me wrong
And pretend like you're immortal
She said he said live like no tomorrow
Every day we borrow
Brings us one step closer to the edge (infinity)
Where's your treasure, where's your hope
If you get the world and lose your soul
She pretends like she pretends like she's immortal
"Those who use the things of the world should not become attached to them. For this world as we know it will soon pass away." -1 Corinthians 7:31 (NLT)
When I look with the lenses of this verse, I gain a new perspective. It makes me realize that some of the stuff that I sought after are, for lack of a better word, meaningless. I always admire my roommate, SC, in the lifestyle that he lived with. SC is a very simple man, who always focus on his relationship with Jesus. This simple lifestyle that SC is living does remind me of Christ. Christ doesn't chase after the latest trend of stuff in life nor does he care about what the world has to offer to him. In actual, it was the reverse. Instead, he offered himself to the world, to redeem us from the snares of sin and death. He also desires every individual in this world to come and know who he really is. Jesus isn't just some prophet, or a historical figure, or a cultural icon. He is alive! A living, breathing God who loves the people of this world immensely. He doesn't need the things of the world, because he is not of this world. In turn, I aspire to live my life in the way of Jesus Christ. I'm not just talking about my materialistic wants in life. I'm also including the relationships that I've built and invested in. I have often caught myself in the danger of needing to be approved by others. It's quite a sad thing when I look back... how I desire to be around people more than spending some alone time with God. I kept asking myself why that is the case... is it because I feel that God is distant? Or maybe because I feel that he's never really there or even listening to my rant. Whatever the case may be, those thoughts are lies and I desire to set aside more time for God. Even if I don't hear anything, I know that he is there listening to me.
I want to end off every blog with a prayer. God answers prayer but we as Christians must also do our part in motivating ourselves to change what we think is best for us with what is God's actual will for us consists of.
Father God, I don't want to be called a sojourner in this temporary world. Instead, I want to prepare myself to become a citizen of heaven. I want to be filled with your love and I desire to spend eternity with you. So help me, Jesus, to live like how you lived. Not to focus on what I need, but on what your will is for me. Help me to start asking the questions: who can I show your love to today? Who in my life, that have hurt me, must I forgive? What are the things in my life that are preventing you from shaping the man of God you want me to become?
Finally, I'll end off with the famous words of Switchfoot:
Gone, like yesterday is gone,
Like history is
Gone, just trying to prove me wrong
And pretend like you're immortal
She said he said live like no tomorrow
Every day we borrow
Brings us one step closer to the edge (infinity)
Where's your treasure, where's your hope
If you get the world and lose your soul
She pretends like she pretends like she's immortal
Comments
Post a Comment