"We Must Protect This House".......

I'm reminded lately of how as a christian, this isn't our home. That earth is not our final destination. We are called by a higher more amazing power to live here for the time being and serve God. I know that, as christians, we hear this a lot. I'm not going to lie, every time that I hear this... it puts me back into my bible class in high school when we went through the purpose driven life book. (Great book). One of the chapters talks about how this is not our home. Earth to us is just a stop or resting place until we reach our home, which is eternity. But when you go to a christian school and a Christian college, you sit through religion classes day in and day out; you hear this and it pretty much goes in one ear and out the other. Have you ever really thought about it though?

This past sunday, the guest speaker at summit used this metaphor. He rents a house here in NC and him and his family live there until, I assume, they find their own home. Anyway, he was talking about when his kids are playing around in the house; he gets pretty protective of the house because it isn't theirs. Like his son was standing in the hallway with a crayon looking at the white wall as if it is a fresh new canvas for him to paint on. Then pastor realizes what his son is conniving in his mind with that crayon and pastor runs toward his children thinking his is going to protect that wall at all costs. The way pastor said it was a bit more hilarious then what I just typed to all of you. But that kind of resonated with me. This life that we have we need to protect it like that white wall. Everything on this earth is not ours... it all belongs to God and we should help to sustain it as longs as possible. It is like when you borrow something from someone... we don't destroy it or use until it can't be used anymore. When you borrow something, you are mindful that it says in working condition to give back the original owner. That is our lives... we don't own this life. It belongs to God. He owns this life of ours... are we going to destroy it or use it until its broken?
 So I encourage you to be mindful with this life... to understand that we are borrowing this life to use it for the good of God. Keep in mind 1 John 2:28-29 "And now dear children, remain in fellowship with Christ so that when he returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from him in shame. Since we know that Christ is righteous, we also know that all who do what is right are God's children." God will return to claim what belongs to him.... Do you belong to him?