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“This world is not my home, I’m just a’ passing through. My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue. The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door. And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.” The old hymn that includes this beginning verse was first published anonymously in 1919. While we may not know the original author, we do know that he or she had a biblical worldview.

The Scriptures affirm that the world in which we currently live is not our ultimate home. Yes, we make our abode here temporarily. But our true home is with God. The writer of Hebrews makes this clear.  In chapter 11, reference is made to people of faith like Abraham, Sarah, Issac, and Jacob who, the text tells us, “...died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth” (Hebrews 11:13).

In other words, like the song says, they were passing through a world that was not their home. Notice how the text continues: “For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them” (Hebrews 11:14-16).

If you are a person of faith, you also are living in a world that is not your true home. Yes, we may own or rent a house in this world but we realize that our true home is with God. Remember, we too are strangers and exiles here. We keep our spiritual passports updated because we seek a better city and country. We can enjoy our homes in this world but, like Paul, we prefer “...to be at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8).

God loves you!

Mike