"And
even when he reached the land God promised him he lived there by faith -
for he was like a foreigner living in a tent....Abraham did this
because he was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal
foundations, a city designed and built by God." Hebrews
10:9-10...."Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts
will also be." Matthew 6:21...."Home is where the heart is."
If you've read either of the past two entries, you know that I just spent a week in Colorado Springs, Colorado. That has been one of the most cherished places in my life. Not only was it the place where I spent some of the most wonderful years of my life, but also where I first began to discover the wonder and depth of who He truly is. Add to that spiritual dimension the great and spectacular natural beauty of the area, it's small wonder that it holds such a special place in my heart. I have never passed up an opportunity to go back, yet in this time back, there was something very different in my return. Yes, the city had changed...a lot. But the wonder and beauty remained, yet in the midst of it all, I realized something more. Though the Springs was once my home, it was my home no longer. Though once my heart yearned constantly to return there, it had been replaced by another, deeper, greater yearning. I don't mean to try and sound "super spiritual" here, but I realized that my heart was more and more yearning for that same city Abraham yearned for. The one with eternal foundations. The one designed and built by Him.
I remember so well my first pastorate in the flatlands of West Texas. It was a deep shock to my spirit to leave the grandeur of Colorado for the seeming barrenness of that land (no offense meant to Texans). I constantly yearned to be back in Colorado. On this recent return to that very place, I realized that it was no longer the Springs, or any other place my heart was yearning for. It was to be fully in His Presence, living in His Life. To finally "come home." No, this is not some morbid desire to be done with this life here, but a realization that what we call "life" is a pale imitation of the Life to be found in Him. We so easily say the religiously correct statement "My home is in heaven," but the actual reality is that we are very much at home right here. We're in no hurry to leave or give it up. In truth, the bulk of our preaching and teaching today is really about how to have a wonderful life right here. We expend all our energy in securing the silver and gold of this world, never realizing that it is really just tin and lead, and we miss laying hold of the true riches of His Kingdom. We are so at home in this world, that the reality of the Kingdom of Heaven sounds more like some children's fable than a real and wonderful Kingdom. The apostle Paul lived life to the fullest, but always with his eyes upon the Kingdom. We talk about being "pilgrims who are just passing through," but for pilgrims, we have established deep roots and attachments to a world we say is passing away. We talk about holding things loosely in this life, all the while holding the things of that life in a white knuckled grip. We read about the city Abraham searched for, but it doesn't really resonate with our hearts because those hearts are so at home here.
There's a saying, I don't remember the source, that our hearts are restless until they find their rest (home) in Him. We are a church culture of restless hearts.
We're always yearning for something else. Something newer, better, bigger, grander, but a something we seem to think can be found here. So we change jobs, residences, mates, and churches, always looking for that "better country" here, but never finding it. Our hearts remain restless. Our spirits unsatisfied. We're searching for home.....never realizing it lies before us in Him. Where, really, is your treasure today. I think I know what your lips will say. Only you, and He, know what your heart truly speaks.
Blessings,
Pastor O
If you've read either of the past two entries, you know that I just spent a week in Colorado Springs, Colorado. That has been one of the most cherished places in my life. Not only was it the place where I spent some of the most wonderful years of my life, but also where I first began to discover the wonder and depth of who He truly is. Add to that spiritual dimension the great and spectacular natural beauty of the area, it's small wonder that it holds such a special place in my heart. I have never passed up an opportunity to go back, yet in this time back, there was something very different in my return. Yes, the city had changed...a lot. But the wonder and beauty remained, yet in the midst of it all, I realized something more. Though the Springs was once my home, it was my home no longer. Though once my heart yearned constantly to return there, it had been replaced by another, deeper, greater yearning. I don't mean to try and sound "super spiritual" here, but I realized that my heart was more and more yearning for that same city Abraham yearned for. The one with eternal foundations. The one designed and built by Him.
I remember so well my first pastorate in the flatlands of West Texas. It was a deep shock to my spirit to leave the grandeur of Colorado for the seeming barrenness of that land (no offense meant to Texans). I constantly yearned to be back in Colorado. On this recent return to that very place, I realized that it was no longer the Springs, or any other place my heart was yearning for. It was to be fully in His Presence, living in His Life. To finally "come home." No, this is not some morbid desire to be done with this life here, but a realization that what we call "life" is a pale imitation of the Life to be found in Him. We so easily say the religiously correct statement "My home is in heaven," but the actual reality is that we are very much at home right here. We're in no hurry to leave or give it up. In truth, the bulk of our preaching and teaching today is really about how to have a wonderful life right here. We expend all our energy in securing the silver and gold of this world, never realizing that it is really just tin and lead, and we miss laying hold of the true riches of His Kingdom. We are so at home in this world, that the reality of the Kingdom of Heaven sounds more like some children's fable than a real and wonderful Kingdom. The apostle Paul lived life to the fullest, but always with his eyes upon the Kingdom. We talk about being "pilgrims who are just passing through," but for pilgrims, we have established deep roots and attachments to a world we say is passing away. We talk about holding things loosely in this life, all the while holding the things of that life in a white knuckled grip. We read about the city Abraham searched for, but it doesn't really resonate with our hearts because those hearts are so at home here.
There's a saying, I don't remember the source, that our hearts are restless until they find their rest (home) in Him. We are a church culture of restless hearts.
We're always yearning for something else. Something newer, better, bigger, grander, but a something we seem to think can be found here. So we change jobs, residences, mates, and churches, always looking for that "better country" here, but never finding it. Our hearts remain restless. Our spirits unsatisfied. We're searching for home.....never realizing it lies before us in Him. Where, really, is your treasure today. I think I know what your lips will say. Only you, and He, know what your heart truly speaks.
Blessings,
Pastor O
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