When all is well in our lives, both in the air and on the ground, it is sometimes easy to forget that we cannot put down roots into the soil of this present fallen Earth.
If easy periods in our present existence tend to lead to a spiritual drift embodying the lie that we can find our final fulfillment here rather than in Heaven, then often the only thing that can reawaken us to our desperate need for a life centered on God is the return of trials and tribulations. Only they can remind us that this place is not home.
The greatest saints of church history have always known that the earth, as it now exists, is not our permanent dwelling-place. Such individuals came to view themselves as “strangers in a strange land.” They did not necessarily disdain earthly pleasures, but they always kept them in a perspective formed by this knowledge.
“I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16: 33 ESV
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