Temporary Residents

1 Peter 2:9, 11 "But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. Dear friends, I warn you as 'temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war 

against your very souls.'"

When our house was being built, my family and I lived with some dear friends. They did everything they could to make us feel welcome and "at home."  However, no matter how welcome they made us feel, we were not "at home."  We we guests in their home.

That is how Christians should view life here on earth. This world is Satan's home, we are temporary residents. As such, we have to guard against getting overly comfortable. When we come to Christ through salvation, we receive the mandate to be holy. 

Leviticus 20:26 "You must be holy because I, the Lord, am holy. I have set you apart from all other people to be my very own."

1 Peter 1:14-16 "So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, 'You must be holy because I am holy.'"

Holiness is not optional for followers of Christ. It is required. God says, "You MUST be holy..."

What does being holy mean?

Galatians 2:20 "My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."  Colossians 3:3 "For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God." Ephesians 2:6 "For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus."

These scriptures along with many others show us the key to holiness.  In this quote from an article in "Christianity Today" (What does God mean when he asks us to be holy as he is holy?) by Joel Scandrett, we see why. "At bottom, God's call to be holy is a radical, all-encompassing claim on our lives, our loves, and our very identities. To be a disciple of Jesus Christ requires nothing less than death to our fallen, egocentric selves in order that we might live in and for him. "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it," says Jesus, "but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?" (Mark 8:35-36). To be holy means that all we are and all we have belongs to God, not ourselves, and that every aspect of our lives is to be shaped and directed toward God."

The questions we must ask ourselves today are:

1. Is there any area of my life I have not given the Holy Spirit access to?

2. Am I living like a temporary resident of this world or am I comfortably at home here?

3. Is every aspect of my life shaped and directed toward God?