Read
Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.
1 Peter 2:11
Reflect
A fugitive is someone who is running away from home.
A vagabond is someone who has no home.
A stranger is someone who is away from their home.
But what is a pilgrim?
The true meaning of the word is also “stranger” or “one who takes a journey for a religious purpose.” But in reality, the voyagers of the early 1600s that we now know as Pilgrims weren’t just on a journey. They were seeking a new home. Their old home had been a place of religious persecution, and they were now seeking a new place that would be their own, and where they could be truly free to worship God.
So in that context, a pilgrim is someone who, in a journey of faith, is on their way to their new home. And that’s us.
All humans desire an earthly home, or place of belonging, where they truly fit — spiritually, emotionally and physically. Children and adults long for a safe and peaceful family home. Worshipers look for a spiritual home — a church — where they can unite with like-minded believers each week to express their faith in God.
But we, as Christians, are on our spiritual journey that will take a lifetime. This world is ultimately a temporary home where we will spend but a portion of our eternal life. The rest of our awaits us in a place of perfection where the Lord reigns and waits to welcome us into the company of all of the saints who have gone before us.
That’s an important point to consider because so many times we live this temporary life as though it’s all-important. Think of all of the petty frustrations and arguments you’ve had. The annoying person in the checkout line ahead of you. The slow drivers in traffic on the way to work. The person who put the empty milk jug back into the fridge. It’s not that these things aren’t frustrating, but are they worth the level of energy that we give them, especially when you think about that moment in the scope of eternity? Peter wrote that we are not permanent residents of this planet but that we are “sojourners and exiles” on this planet. In the King James version, the word “exile” is translated as “pilgrim.”
Again, that’s what we are – pilgrims. We are living this day that is but one day in our ultimate journey home. Today is a waystation, an intermediate stop in that journey. Make sure you live it in joy and victory, and in a way that would make proud the One who waits for you and who is preparing for you your eternal home.
Reflection copyright © 2022 Doug DeBolt and Charles Fulton.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
