Q1. Homeland

[millie]

Any christian who love the world is worldy. They have never changed, and do not want to change. Satan will have your mind on worldy things. But if we have change our lives I do not care what Satan put in front of us we can tell him to get behind us. We have got to be careful and do not get caught up in this old world.

[Thehammer44]

The conflict between this world and our heavenly kingdom, becomes one of the present really/struggle to survive mentality. At least for me it does. We must live in this world and share in the day to day tasks that enable us to pay our bills, care for our families etc. If a person is losing their home because they can't pay the mortgage....talking about ones' heavenly home just doesn't seem like reality.

In a Bible study/prayer meeting years ago we were discussing this same truth...being "strangers" in this land. To our amusement a newly saved young man said, "Where you people from then, Mars?" We then had a wonderful time of sharing about longing for our real, permanent Heavenly homes.

I, like many of you, struggle to stay focused on God's kingdom. Several things that help my wife and I are these:

1) Reading some portion of scripture each day.

2) Praying, together, each morning.

3) Worship, corporately, as often as possible

4) Hearing the word/ being fed and challenged.

Jesus said "Blessed are the peace makers for they will be called sons of God" Peace also is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. When I am at peace with myself, those around me and my God...I can focus on that Heavenly kingdom. I need the Lords' help daily to walk this way.

[HENRY WONG]

Many of us Christians at some time or another are gulity of this - getting our priorities wrong. We easily forget that man has a threefold nature, spirit, soul(mind) and body. The spirit is the part that God interacts with and this is the part (with the soul) that goes on forever with him when we move on to glory. And yet we spend too much time on the "flesh" part and lose sight of what is eternal.

In the marketplace, I find myself losing focus of this truth sometimes and depserately need to remind myself that I'm just a passing thru. However, having said that, I try to be blessing to others so I avoid being "so heavenly minded that I become no earthly use" for the Father's Glory.

The plumbline that keeps us in check would be total and complete obedience to God's Word and this is only possible if we feed on His Word daily, if we let "our light so shine to bring Glory to Him".

[sbuthpstr]

What an amazing avenue to share the wonders of our christian life with one another. Yes, I am a "newbie" to this site and was blown away by the many posts that were offered. The many different insights and angles on this one passage were awesome to read. Thank you for sharing the wisdom God has given each of you. It is enlightening and inspiring to see how God is working in each and every life respresented here.

As to the question of the day: 1:1 How would you describe the behavior of a Christian who identifies more with his present homeland than his heavenly one? In a word. Deceived...or Distracted. So many of the events of life pull our eyes and attention off of the most imporatnt things that God has called us to. it is easy to focus on the noise of this life and loose track of the goal. i think of the words of Paul to the Philippians 3:13-14, "Brothers, I do not consider myself to have embraced it.

[dantanc]

1). I consider such Christians as having misplaced priorities. They might be even thinking that they can attend to the God's kingdom work at a later date. If they listen, they can be softly advised. They do not realise that being pre-occupied with this world totally, makes him loose sight of Lord's calling.

2) Yes.I was in this position too. Totally pre-occupied with my work and the society around.

3) Lord himself has given me the chance to assess my position and make a turn around into his love and thereby into his work. Being obedient to the second chance given. Enjoying the study of his word and company of saints. All the time seeking the fellowship of Jesus Christ wth the help of Holy Spirit.

[Michelle]

He sets his sights on the earthly things and it occupies and takes up his time and at the end of the day God gets the scraps and the Christian doesn't grow as he should.

Yes, when you start of being a baby Christian, that is normally when you find you get distracted, I must admit that even now I falter and sometimes find myself getting side tracked.

I feel that we need to draw closer to God, have a personnel relationship with him, to read his word, our main circle of friends if they are Christians can encourage and motivate us. To fellowship in church and most of all to stay focused on God, he is our heavenly father.

[jbwalya]

A Christian who identifies more with his present homeland than his heavenly citizenship can be described as short sighted and blind (2 Peter 1:9). I also have been caught up doing this when I got so involved in my work and my projects. It was not until someone read to me Revelation 2:4 which warns us about the dangers of lossing our first love.

[jmoller]

I beleive that it is an on-going lifelong battle or challenge of every Christian to life like an abassador and be a real representative of the land of our King and not as a tourist running around in a strange unknown land where we can do as we please because no-one knows you. I also know a religious leader has it difficult in this life because everyone looks up to them for many beleive they are setting the example (surely God is our example) but on the other hand everyone in a normal job with a family and other community responsibilities do have a difficult time to let Jesus shine through them at all times.

When we fail so dismally we can only trust the promises made in the bible and know that He will never let us go astray. We can only ask His forgiveness and allow Him again to lead the way.

He has a purpose for everyone of us and we need to study and pray for guidance at all times.

My short answer to the question is : If a Christian identifies more with the present homeland he or she is luke warm. I am guilty of that all the time and therefore we need to turn to God everyday ask His forgiveness and also His help and guidance to prevent us from repeating the same mistakes.

[Helen]

Such a Christian is more worried about affairs of his world than those of Faith, and talks more about worldly things. Maybe he seeks still to please men rather than God. He is lost in his own problems or ideas.

"Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" seems to be the desciptive text. As you get to know people you can discern this. Jesus says we need to "build treasure in Heaven where moth and rust do not corrupt and thieves do not break in and steal."

I'm still training myself to please God and not people.

It comes right by spending much time with God in prayer, meditation and study of the Word. This way Father can correct our mindset. We also need to have

confidence in God above all else,

self-discipline to spend the time with God to develop the relationship and to obey scripture, as it is written (not using it to prove our own agenda!)and the instruction of the Holy Spirit.

determination to go through whatever it takes

And most importantly, it is all done for love of Jesus - within the "first love" context.

"Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness (which originates in His Love), and all these things will be added unto you.

[daron]

A Christian who identifies with this world more than heaven seeks lasting fulfillment, satisfaction, and meaning from temporary turn-ons. Like the prodigal son, this Christian doesn

[George Barnett]

Such a Christian is a person who, for whatever reasons, is focussing on the worldly aspect of life rather than spiritual ones. I find myself in this situation more than I care to admit to and certainly more than I like. When I identify this behaviour I pray for forgiveness and for the strength and courage to allow God to run my life, to "Let Go and Let God", as the adage goes.

I agree with the things that sbuthpstr stated, and am also grateful for a God who is endlessly loving, patient and forgiving. I pray daily for the strength and courage to let God into my life completely and to deny Satan his way with me. For me it is a constant struggle and I pray God will equip me to prevail.

I look forward to this Bible Study, the interaction with other students and to improving my ability to live in Christ, and with God, through the things I will learn.

God's Blessings to you all,

George

[Betty]

They are just caught up in the things of this world, forgetting that those things are only temporary. It's difficult to walk so close to Jesus every day when Satan throws everything He can into your path, but with God's help, the Christian who has been led astray by Satan can be gently put back on track if they will seek God's direction and ask His forgiveness for going astray.

Yes, unfortunately, I have allowed myself to lose focus of what is really important in this life as a Christian, so I know how easy it is to get distracted.

The only thing we can do to get our priorities straight is to stay so close to God that Satan finally gives up! We need to stay in the Word, pray fervently, fellowship with other Christians, keep Christ first in our lives in everything we do. Then, and only then, will the love of Christ show through us so that others may know what He is like. God is Love, and we must love Him first; then love others. It is so wonderful to be in the family of God, and know that He is faithful to all His children!

[Marilyn Rivington]

I think sometimes I just get so wrapped up in my life here on earth that I forget this is only a transitory existence. It is when I get my eyes back on Jesus and the promises of Scripture that my priorities change and I begin to see "storing treasures in Heaven" more important than what I have here.

[bjayi100]

The person is yielding to the power of the flesh as opposed to the authority of the holy spirit which resides in us as a result of our cordial relationship with the word of God.

Yes, of course i've caught myself doing this. But i quickly get myself back in alignment with God's word and denounce satan as a liar that I've ceased to be his candidate forever. However,I always feed my spirit with praying,and reading the God's words on a daily basis. That has helped a lot to stay on course by connecting myself with my heavenly home and not this sinful world.

[Linda Stanley]

I believe there are many Christians who struggle with his present homeland than his heavenly one.We all behave in diffrent ways,act in diffrent ways conduct ourselves in diffrent ways.Our Heavenly Father gave us a life to enjoy,in Him.We must not get caught up in the "things "of this world.We all have "things"that we enjoy.Some Christians call it being worldly.When this happens we put every thing else before Our Heavenly Father.Ask ourselves this question,What is the first thing we do when we wake up in the morning?What has to happen before we get our spiritual priorities straight?Now,we know when we neglect something.What happens if we dont clean our house?Big mess!What if we neglect bathing ourselves.We would begin to stink!

All "things" of this world will fade away.We must stop grasping the temporary and focus on the permanent,which is "Jesus Christ".We must not settle in a world that will promise us nothing.Put God first,"top priority",so our faith,and hope and love are all in God.Amen..Blessings Linda

[Jen]

I think worldly or carnal people are walking in ignorance of the truth of the gospel and the hope that lies before them. It is very easy to get caught up in the affairs of the world and put off our Lord today. Sad to say I certainly find myself struggling with it. Everytime I buy something I have guilt feelings. Maybe as long as we don't overdue there is nothing wrong in having some "things" but they should not become more than our Lord. He is first and last, the Alpha and Omega. He is God and He is holy. How we can even look at things with desire is byond me when we are supposed to "know Him" and yet I find myself struggling with this issue. I think I need to know Him better.

Keeping your mind on the Word and and surrendering all to Jesus every day is needed. I also find suffering takes my mnd off material goods and puts it back where it belongs. On Him. "For what good does it do me if I gain the whole world and lose my own soul". How about our loved ones? Our mine seeing in me a desire for Jesus because He far surpasses anything in this world or are they seeing a desire for worldly things. They need to see us focus on and really love our Lord.

God Bless,

Jen

[linda biloni]

I would identify that christian as not only in the world, but of the world. I catch myself being of the world when listening, and sharing gossip about others in order to feel like I am a part of the conversation at hand. Then I am so disappointed in myself, for I know that this is being of the world and wanting to be part of something, or accepted by people that shouldn't matter to me. What can they offer, what rewards can they give in comparison to what God has offered me? I pray for the strength to overcome this.

To get my spiritual priorities right, I have to develop a closer relationship with God. I will obtain this by studying the bible (which doing these lessons has kept me doing). This way I will become more knowledgeable of what awaits me. I will know that there will be no more sorrow, tears and disappointments. Praise God!!!

[AnnJ]

If we identify more with our present homeland, then that is where our focus is. If our focus is on this world, it is likely this world controls us. The more controlled we are by this world the more likely we are to conform to it. I do struggle with this far too often. To get away from this it is necessary to refocus our attention on God through prayer and Bible study.

[AngelOnLine]

"How would you describe the behavior of a Christian who identifies more with his present homeland than his heavenly one?"

This would be a person whose focus is entirely on himself, instead of Jesus. He thinks only of his worldly goods, instead of building up his stores in Heaven.

"Have you ever caught yourself doing this?"

I'm sure we all have. I find myself thinking of

[Tamara]

I think in our media-saturated times, the battle must be nearly constant for most of us to fight the urge to excel in this world instead of preparing for the next. Unless we focus on the race (to eternity) as Paul exhorts us to do, we Christians can easily get caught up in leading somewhat "double" lives. Behaving as the world expects us to when in our more secular surroundings, and reserving the light God has blessed us with for the times when we are in our Christian circles. I know that has been my struggle since recommitting to Christ 10 years ago.

Preparing ourselves daily to enter the secular world, through reading His Word and through prayer, is essential to keeping our minds focused on eternity - on the next "real" life, instead of this temporary one.

Blessings to all,

Tamara

[Tamara]

[What has to happen to get our spiritual priorities straight?

I get back on course by repenting, then practicing what I call Holy Habits. Which are, meditation, prayer, fasting, study, simplicity, solitude, submission, service, confession, worship, guidance, and celebration. (Taken from the book,

[Rosemarie Olson]

The Bible describes the life that is more committed to earth than heaven, as being carnal. That is living more for the flesh than for the spirit. It takes a daily dying to self and feeding the spirit. It is very easy to get caught up with the affairs of this world. We tend to think that we are never going to leave, and act accordingly. I don't think that there is a Christian alive that doesn't struggle with this problem. To get our priorities straight, we have to repent and ask God to help us keep on the narrow path by reading the Word, prayer, and seeking out Christian friends for support.

[Gail B.]

Worldly or carnal behavior results when we focus our priorities on the things of this world instead of our future home. The word says to put off the old nature and to let the word transform and renew our minds. From experience I know that focusing on temporal things have the power to pull you into a backslidden condition where satan blinds you into believing you are still walking in the power of God but are not. You have lost your first love, Jesus, and the cares, lusts and things of the world have taken place as the god of your life. But when your eyes are finally opened to the sin in your own heart, Jesus comes, cleanses and sets you back on your feet, stronger than ever and you realize how easy it was to slip away so you cling more tightly to him focusing on daily prayer, the word, fellowshipping with the body of unified believers, and crucifying your flesh daily. A Christian who does not put away or put to death the things of this world will only be on a pathway to death, but God has given us life and light through following Jesus.

[Kim E.]

Hi, I'm Kim E. I just joined today from Texas. I'm reading the first lesson from the 24th today to catch up. I found my way back to the Lord just about a year ago. I've been away for quite a long time. I'm attending church again with my husband and I study the Word of God every day. I'm of course having some pretty tough times with understanding every sacrifice I must make for the Lord. I have tried to "put my hand to the plow and look back". It became painfully clear to me because of my fear of losing the friends I've had, that I have a long way to go. This is right up there with being worldly. The Lord has been gently but steadily leading me. I've given my life to Jesus but He has to teach me and mold me and given the time I've been gone, He has a lot to do!! Please pray for me that I will come to recognize when I'm being worldly (beyond the obvious) and be able to escape that snare when it comes with Jesus help. When faced with the loss of old friends I reacted by trying to pray that the Lord would change them. That in itself is not bad, but He will do it in His own time. I was trying to run ahead of the Lord, so I tried to do it myself. I wish I could describe my experience in a more beautiful way, but I find I can only express it based on what happens to me. I'm hoping you will understand. I really like the way Gail B. expessed her thoughts. That same post would express mine also.

[holiness]

I would describe a christian's faith, as for me for instance, I guess because the circumstance I am in right now is really making me make a choice, as a christian, to trust in the Lord. I don't mean to waver in and out, but I have to admit there are times I do. It is getting lesser and lesser now though. And it is not feeling sorry for myself, just questions that I ask myself repeatedly about decision making. Was this self inflicted or is this a trial that is necessary that I have to go through. Because the trials that is popping up has not been anticipated. It's as almost as if the enemy is trying to steal my joy at the end of the tunnel. So I guess it is simply having me, forcing me to rely on the Lord. And remembering his word, by memorizing verses from the bible that will remind me and help me through these trials. Of His Promises for me and my family.