not home yet

It is interesting how the theme of "what is to come in the future" seem to be evident these days. I guess with all the frequent reports of natural disasters destroying homes in the news, it acts as a wake up call for many people to seriously think about what the future holds for them or more appropriately WHO holds their future. As for myself, there were two seemingly paradoxical and yet perfectly complementary aspects that came to mind.

Has this world been so kind to you that you should leave with regret?There are better things ahead then any we leave behind. - C.S. Lewis. Indeed that as believers, we should be very careful as to not be too comfortable in this world that we no longer look forward to the place that Christ has prepared for us. And for those who feel tired and need hope to carry on, be comforted by the assurance that we have a home in heaven to look forward to. Steven Curtis Chapman wrote in his song "Not Home Yet": I know there'll be a moment, I know there'll be a place. Where we will see our Savior, and fall in His embrace. So let us not grow weary, or too content to stay. 'Cause we are not home yet...So let us journey on.

Having said that, it is also important to know that while we look forward to the prospect that we have, we also have a responsibility at the present to reach out to those who are in need. Amy Carmichael puts it this way: We have all eternity to celebrate our victories, but only a few short years to win them. It is clear we have to seize every opportunity we have in life for God. Even the group Mercyme recognized that life is too short to not live for something bigger when they wrote in their song "In The Blink Of An Eye": ...How can I further Your kingdom, when I am so wrapped up in mine...Time will fly, but until then, I'll embrace every moment i'm given, there's a reason I'm alive for a blink of an eye.

Finally, two verses and thoughts from Uplook magazine which should serve as a reminder to us always:
~We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out - 1 Tim 6:7
~I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus - Phil 3:14
Let us then pray for discernment, that we would know what we should leave behind and what we should take with us as we carry on with our journey that leads us back to our heavenly home.