This World Is Not Our Home

toilet-sign-direction-airport

This illustration really struck me this week.  When you have a layover at an airport, you do not go into the bathroom, get bent out of shape over the décor, and start redecorating.  Why?  Because you don’t live there.  You are just passing through.  You have a home someplace else.  It would make no sense whatsoever to waste your time, effort and resources on such a task.

This world is similar to the airport bathroom in that gross sin plagues every aspect of it.

Even the parts that look pure, under the microscope of God’s holiness, are not.  God’s Word says that even the heavens (material night sky) are not pure in His eyes (Job 15:15).  Genesis 6:11-2, Isaiah 24:5 and multiple other passages teach us that the earth is corrupted by sin.  Yes, the remnants of God’s creative power and beauty is still pervasive throughout creation and the only appropriate response is awe-filled worship -  but that doesn’t change the fact that the filth of sin has tainted creation.  It is no longer the “very good” original creation of God.  As a result, one day God is going to destroy the current material universe and make a new heavens and new earth (1 Peter 3:7, 10-13, Revelation 21:1).  One completely free of sin for all of eternity.  And for all who trust in Jesus, that is home, not this world.

In light of this reality, we need to ask ourselves a vital question - are we stuck on remodeling the airport bathroom?

Do we put more time, effort, and resources into our physical homes and surroundings than storing up treasure in heaven (Matthew 6:19-21)?  On a day to day basis is it not easy to focus so much on excelling in our careers that we don’t even stop to think about their eternal impact or why God has placed us in our career in the first place?

Now, first off let me be clear that pursuing excellence in our careers or physical earthly homes is not in anyway a sin. Quite the opposite. In fact as the Lord calls us to be good stewards of the gifts He has given us, we SHOULD seek to take care of the dwelling place He has given us both by taking care of our physical bodies and the physical home He chooses to bless us with, while also pursuing integrity and excellence in our careers – For GOD’S glory, not our own. But just like any gift can be turned into an idol, we need to be careful not to put so much focus and effort Into remodeling the airport bathroom and make sure God’s glory and our eternal home with Jesus is always our utmost focus.

Today, I challenge you to think about what you are doing and why you are doing it.

How can you and I live in light of eternity with Jesus?  How should we treat our families, share the gospel, dive into God’s Word, pray and serve the church in a way that shouts “I am so thankful for my eternal home with Jesus Christ”?  Today, think about how you can and will start storing up God-honoring treasure in heaven and stop the futile remodeling of the airport bathroom.