“For our citizenship is in Heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” Phil 3:20
“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.” Heb 11:13
A sojourner is a person who resides temporarily in a place. (Wiki) We are sojourners on this earth. We will not reside here permanently, only for a short time on our way to our eternal destination.
As a missionary, there are a lot of things to forsake – all that is known and familiar. Whether it be culture, language, family, country, food, friends, interest, hobby, and most likely all of that mentioned, let us not forget that those are all temporary arrangements that are subject to change. All these factors are part of our identity and forms our personality, but when our identity becomes in Christ and we let Him form our desires and wants, the temporary necessities becomes less important and we are able to see the eternal values as He sees them!
Although our national identity is important to many of us, nothing should be as important as our identity in Christ. Kingdoms may fall and kingdoms may rise, but God’s kingdom is established forevermore. When our citizenship is in Heaven, and that becomes very clear to us, it becomes a lot more easier to forsake our earthly home in obedience to God’s calling on our lives.
Just think about Abraham who left Ur of the Chaldeans, which was the most civilized place on the Earth at that time.
“Now the Lord had said to Abraham: ‘Get out of your country, from your family, and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you.” Gen 12:1
He left a big house with about 14 rooms, in a city with a postal system, library, astronomy, and a great infrastructure, where about 80% of the population lived in the cities, in order to follow God’s call and live in a tent for the rest of his life. Was that a sacrifice? You bet! Did he get rich? Yes, he did! But he never returned back home. His citizenship was in Heaven, therefore, his earthly dwelling was less important and he was able to fulfill God’s plan for his life.
“Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel,
who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life” Mark 10:29-30
Therefore, my earthly dwelling is less important than God’s calling on my life and his grace is sufficient!