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I’m a stranger and a pilgrim on this earth,

For they that say such things make a plain declaration,

This world is not my home, even though I’ve lived in it since birth,

We should look forward to a better city that has no temptation.

I love God with all my heart,

I love everything that God has created,

I will do all I can and play my part,

Everywhere I go, even if I get hated.

The gospel has a message so tremendous,

If we go to Jesus, we shall receive the glorious crown,

God wants us to be the first and to be above and to be the lenders,

He wants us to go to heaven, where there will be no frown.

I will do everything in my ability,

To spread the gospel to all nations,

I will use my time, effort, money and creativity,

May God help me to do it with the best of intentions.

Hebrews 11:13-14 (KJV) – “¹³ These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. ¹⁴ For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.”

Most people who showed tremendous faith in God did not receive the ultimate promise of eternal life. However, they strongly believed that God is not a liar (Numbers 23:19) and that He will fulfil that promise when the right time comes.

The Bible says in Hebrews 11:13 (KJV) – “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.” The heroes of faith lived knowing that this world was not their home. They were passing by.

They understood their true home was heaven and the earth was a temporary place to sojourn. It is like going on a campout or a vacation for a week, two weeks, or even a month. When going there, you don’t carry all the belongings from your house because you are going to stay there temporarily. You don’t take all the clothes from your wardrobe when going there. You carry what you think will be essential for temporal survival.

Hebrews 11:9-10 (KJV) – “⁹ By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: ¹⁰ For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.”

Abraham was one of the heroes of faith who declared that he was a stranger and a pilgrim in this world. How did he make that declaration? He made it plain, not merely by the words he spoke but by how he lived. In the land of promise, he did not get too comfortable and did not allow himself to sink in the luxury it provided. Instead, he was dwelling in tents. While he was there, he desired a better country. The land of promise was good but not good enough for Abraham.

As a child of God, you should be lofty in ambitions because the closer you get to God, the higher your mind becomes because it gets uplifted to meet the mind of God. Therefore, when non-believers are satisfied by the best the world has to offer, a believer should look beyond, hoping to enter through the pearly gates of that glorious city.

Does this mean Abraham did not work and all he did was to idly wait for the second coming of Jesus? There is a common mindset entertained by some Christians that one waiting for the second coming of Jesus needs not to work or go to school and that one needs to sell all that they have to be ready for Jesus’ second coming. A couple of times when false prophets and teachers misled people to believe that Jesus was coming at a certain time, people stopped working, they stopped sending their children to school, and they sold all that they had, only for their hopes to be broken when Jesus did not show up at that specific date or month or year.

The fourth commandment says in Exodus 20:8-9 (KJV) – “⁹ Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. ¹⁰ Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work.”

God tells us to keep the Sabbath day holy, which is only one day of the week, the seventh. However, He does not stop there. He goes ahead to tell us what we need to do for the remaining six days of the week before Saturday (the seventh day) arrives. He tells us, “Six days shalt thou labour.” This is not a suggestion. It is a command. We are to labour for six days, doing our best in our God-given purpose, and then rest on the seventh day.

“Let every true, honest-hearted worker be encouraged to work on, keeping in view the fact that every one will be rewarded as his works have been. Work with an eye single to the glory of God. Do not refuse to bear responsibilities because you have a sense of your weakness and inefficiency. God can give you strength and wisdom if you are consecrated to Him and keep humble. Let none through slothfulness refuse to work; and let none rush ahead, urging his service when it is not wanted.” – Counsels on Sabbath School Work, Page 70.1, Ellen G. White.

“Let every true worker be grateful to God that he is honored in having an opportunity of working for the Master. Watch for opportunities to do good and improve the talents God has given you, seeking grace daily that you may succeed in doing good.” – Counsels on Sabbath School Work, Page 70.2, Ellen G. White.

The Bible records in Genesis 13:2 that Abraham was rich in cattle, silver and gold. He was rich in material things because he diligently worked for them while trusting in God, and God blessed the work of his hands. One way to declare that you desire a better country and are a child of God is by working diligently and faithfully in all you do.

Ecclesiastes 9:10 (KJV) – “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.” This verse tells us that while we are on this earth, before we receive the promise of eternal life, we must do our best in all we do.

Making a plain declaration that we are Christians goes beyond words. The third commandment says in Exodus 20:7 (KJV) – “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain.” One way of taking God’s name in vain is by claiming that we are Christians but living a life opposite our proclamation. Our lives must be vividly and distinctively a plain declaration of what we profess.

Hebrews 11:4 (KJV) – “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.”

Abel embraced God’s promise and made a plain declaration through his righteous actions. He offered God the sacrifice that He required even though it cost him his life. He did not live long after he pleased God since he died shortly after. He was not taken to heaven as he is in the grave awaiting the resurrection of the saints when Jesus Christ comes back. However, his life was a plain declaration that he was a stranger and a pilgrim in this world.

Hebrews 11:7 (KJV) – “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.”

By faith, Noah declared plainly that he was a stranger and a pilgrim in this world by how he lived. Everybody else was minding their own business, and he singlehandedly took on God’s work with solemnity amidst the evil and the ridicule that was ongoing in the world. He obeyed God’s command by building an ark. He used the exact materials that God told him to. Making a plain declaration is doing exactly what God tells you to do and how He has told you to.

Cain did what God told him by bringing a sacrifice, but he did not get the sacrifice that God wanted. Saul killed all the Amalekites that God told him to, but he spared the king and the fat animals. Luke 19:5-6 (KJV) – “⁵ And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at thy house. ⁶ And he made haste, and came down, and received Him joyfully.” Zacchaeus surrendered to Jesus completely by doing exactly what Christ told him to, and he received salvation. To get saved, we ought to offer ourselves fully to God. As Christians, our lives should reflect the image of God. That is how we make a plain declaration. 

GOD BLESS YOU!

Prayer

Dear God, help me make a plain declaration that this world is not my home, by the words that I speak and my actions. In Jesus name, Amen.

Activity

1. Do your neighbourhood friends and people know you are a Christian?
2. How are you making a plain declaration that you are a Christian? List some of the ways.

Author: Mark Alex   

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