A Pause to Ponder God's Word
"Aliens"

Today when aliens are spoken of, many, if not most, think of extraterrestrial beings. Of course this is not the only meaning of the word alien, and surely was not the original meaning. An alien is foreigner. He is different from everyone else. His life style differs from the norm. He is uncomfortable with his surroundings because this is not "home." He doesn't fit. There is a constant longing in his heart to be home. He is a stranger, a sojourner, an alien in the land.

Alien can be as much theological term as a geographical one. For those in Christ it is definitely a theological term, for it describes our status in the world. Peter forthrightly proclaims this fact in his first epistle - "I urge you as aliens and strangers in the world to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul." (2:11) Just before making this powerful statement Peter beautifully described the people of God as a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, a people who were once in darkness but now are in the wonderful light, receivers of mercy, and those who were once no people but are now God's people. (2:9-10) There are several possible reasons why Peter wrote this glorious description. Surely one of them was his concern that Christians were forgetting who and what they were. He was forcefully reminding them that they were aliens in this world. They were adapting to well and too easily to the world in which they were living. The were too "at home" in this world. They needed to be reminded who and what they were.

The danger of being at home in this world still plagues us. It is easy to forget that this is not home. We are not to assimilate into the culture. We are to remember who we are and live that out here on earth. Jesus told us through His High Priestly prayer that we are not of this world even as He is not of the world. (John 17) Though we are in it, we are not of it. The contrast of how the world lives and how Christians live is consistently revealed in Scripture. We Christians are not to live like the world. We are not to think like the world. We are not to be like the world. We live out our culture, our ethic, our mindset - the Kingdom of God. That is where our citizenship is. That is where we belong. That is where our heart is. That is where we long to be.

It is not easy to keep this in the forefront of our minds and hearts. With the pressures of being in this world we soon forget that we are aliens here. If we are not careful the longing of our hearts wane and our attitudes become worldly. We find ourselves using more time and energy making a living and preparing for our future here than for the things of God. We take the dull the edge of the "other-worldliness" biblical mandates by redefining them in worldly terms. We make the Bible a "how to live healthier and happier in this world" guide book, rather than God's Word on how to live as aliens (His people) in a foreign land.

Beloved let us immerse ourselves in prayer, Scripture, and worship so that we will not forget that we are aliens and strangers in this world. Let us draw upon God's glorious provisions in Christ Jesus to live out our "otherness" in Christ daily. Don't forget, "This world is not our home; We're just a passin' through. Our treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue. The angles beckon us from God's celestial shore and we can't feel at home in this world anymore."

Keep Close to Jesus
Pastor Gerry


A Pause To Ponder God's Word is written and distributed by Gerald Whetstone, Ordained Elder and teacher in the Church of the Nazarene. These devotionals may be transmitted, duplicated, used in part or in entirety without permission for nonprofit purposes only. Responses welcome. To Subscribe Click Here.
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