THE CHRISTIAN’S LIFE, THE JOURNEY OF A PILGRIM (1 PETER 2:11)

Dear Members in Christ,

The Christian’s life, the journey of a pilgrim (1 Peter 2:11)

Earlier this month, I took a southbound journey on a coach to settle the renewal of personal travel documents. After a prayer for journey mercies, I felt the bus moving and it started to wind its way past the neighbourhood. Although the trip was purely for an administrative errand, in the quietness of the bus, I knew I was on a journey. The bus ride was pleasant, but that’s all it is, a journey. It will terminate when we arrive at our destination, and each one of us passengers will go off our separate ways to accomplish our respective tasks. For the duration which we were travelling, we were but passengers, travelers on a journey. The journey is our transit, not our destination. So, one might ask, what has that got to do with our Christian life?

I was suddenly reminded of what the apostle Peter wrote to the believers in his epistle. The apostle Peter describes believers as “stranger and pilgrims.”

"Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;" 1 Peter 2:11 

So, how did such thoughts come to me? Well, I was burdened with thinking about some of our members who have gone home to be with the Lord in the last few months. A dear sister-in-Christ have gone to be with the Lord after a battle with cancer. A long time member who used to serve as a church pianist had departed for his heavenly home, having lived to a ripe old age of 97. A dear brother, after a stroke, and another sister from the Chinese Congregation passed on in her home. Indeed, “this world is not my home, I’m just a-passing through”, these lyrics might be familiar to some. Those who have departed, we sing that they are “safe in the arms of Jesus.” What about us? This is a thought which should awaken us to our need for re-examining our life on this earthly journey. Our sojourn is temporary, so how shall we live this life?

A. We are strangers and pilgrims in this fleshly world

The words of the Apostle Peter points us towards how we should see the attractions of this world. As children of God, we do not have the same view of the world as unbelievers. Therefore we see that the Apostle Peter lays his basis for reminding us that we are pilgrims when he wrote,

“Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.” 1 Peter 2:10

Believers are called into a special relationship with God. We are “the people of God.” This sets us apart from the unbelieving world. The Apostle Peter warns us that the world and its attractions, its fleshly lusts “war against the soul” (1 Peter 2:11). These are things which battle against us, it will fight us, it is detrimental to our Christian life.

Brothers and sisters, our sojourn on earth is brief, let us reconsider how we spend our time and resource in this earthly sojourn. Many things attract and call out at us, the social media, entertainment, distractions and hobbies. The invention of the smart phone make these distractions even more readily accessible. Let us battle against the temptation and attractions of this world. Count every moment precious! Beloved, ask yourself, “What can I do for the Lord?”

B. The Christian’s destination – our eternal hope

Where are we headed? Every journey must have a destination, every coach trip has a terminal station. As Christians, what is our final destination? The apostle Paul had message in his epistle to the Hebrews. He was teaching them about faith, in particular the example of those faithful men and women who had passed on to glory. He wrote,

"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." Hebrews 11:13

This, dearly beloved, is the final destination of every believer. The promises of God fulfilled, the gift of eternal life, and the hope of glorification in Christ! These faithful men and women considered their life in this world as a mere sojourn. We are all “strangers and pilgrims on this earth.” If we know that this sojourn is but a temporal journey, let us double up our effort to store up eternal treasures. Beloved, be in prayer, ask God for guidance as to how you can effectively serve Him within the church.

Just sometime ago I was encouraged to see some members offering their services with various ministries of the church. There is a constant need for willing hands. If you have the gift and the calling, step up, and do your part for the Lord Jesus.

Soon, for every one of us, our earthly journey will come to an end. This is not a cause for sorrow but rather, hope and comfort for the eternal glory that awaits us. Invest every moment for the treasures of eternity! Let us as strangers and pilgrims make our journey count for eternity. Let us serve with zeal and devotion all the days of our life! Amen.      

In His Service,
Rev. Lim Seh Beng, Pastor