The following devotional is by Pastor and author Paul David Tripp. He entitled it Not My Final Home.
Read a sad message about a church I love, had to say to myself again, “This is not my final home.”
Family brokenness and division tears at the heart, had to reach out for this truth, “This is not my final home.”
Temptation seems to be around every corner, need to pause and consider, “This is not my final home.”
Another trusted leader crashes and burns, had to remind myself, “This is not my final home.”
Watching culture’s descent into insanity, comfort myself with one thing, “This is not my final home.”
See faithfulness give way to compromise, I say with those who’ve gone before me, “This is not my final home.”
The presence and power of remaining sin exposed again, had to reflect on my destiny, “This is not my final home.”
Weariness with the struggle gives way to eternity’s longing, rejoicing another time that, “This is not my final home.”
Creation all around seems to groan under the curse’s pain, no hope without knowing, “This is not my final home.”
When evil seems to prosper and good suffers, I cannot let myself forget, “This is not my final home.”
When the war for the heart seems unrelenting, my strength is found in remembering, “This is not my final home.”
When the world offers nothing that gives life, I look up and remember, “This is not my final home.”
The bright promise at the heart of the gospel of Jesus, in him my future is secured, “This is not my final home.”
Every human being will only ever find one place of rest, one location of final fulfillment. There and there alone will the journey end, the war be over, and our hearts be given the rest they always wanted but never fully had.
We will no longer be haunted by ghosts of “what ifs” and “if onlys.” We will not wish for what others have or lament what we have missed. We will no longer try to satisfy spiritual hunger with physical food.
We will be freed from trying to calm internal restlessness with things that cause us trouble and only deepen our longing. We will know what we have never known before, and we will celebrate that knowledge forever.
When that time comes, we will get it right. We will be completely full, never to hunger again. We will experience what we have longed for at times and in ways that we didn’t even know we were longing.
We will be happy—no, not with the temporary physical, emotional, relational, or situational happiness that fades like morning fog. We will be happy in a deeply contented happiness of heart, a kind of joyful contentment of soul unlike anything we have ever known before.
It is impossible to characterize how deep and expansive our delight in him will be. It is hard to find words that do justice to how completely satisfied we will be. Our hearts will finally have what they have always searched for, and our celebration will never end.
“The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price […] He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:17, 20)
A Prayer for Today: God, when I see the world around me and observe my own sinful heart, I grieve and need to be reminded of the fact that this is not my final home. Thank you for rescuing me and giving me the bright promise that in Jesus, my future is secured for all eternity. As I walk through this life, help me to rest in that promise and believe that it will one day be fulfilled. I long for that day, but until then, may I walk in faithfulness as a Spirit-filled follower of Christ. In his name I pray, amen.
May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.
Soli deo Gloria!
His Word Today 