This Vagabond ...

These cuties remind me of my nephew & niece back in Kuching...
(Sorry, topic not relevant...hehehee).

Part 3: LIFE ON EARTH IS A TEMPORARY ASSIGNMENT
Life on earth, according to the Bible, is brief, temporary and of transient nature.
Compared with eternity, life is extremely brief.
Earth is only a temporary residence.
You won’t be here forever, so don’t get too attached.
David prayed: Lord, help me to realize how brief my time on earth will be. Help me to know that I am here but for a moment more.”
We’re just passing through, just visiting earth.
“I am a stranger on earth; do not hide your commands from me.”-Psalm 119.19.
If you call God your father, live your time as temporary residents on earth.
God says that His children are to think differently about life from the way unbelievers do.

Phillipians 3:19-20:
19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is their shame.
20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ…

There is far more to life than just the few years we live on this planet.
Once you fully grasp the truth that your identity is in eternity and your homeland is heaven, you stop worrying about “having it all” on earth!
God is very blunt about the danger of living ‘here and adopting the values, priorities, and life-styles of the world around us. When we flirt with temptations, God calls it ‘Spiritual Adultery’.
“ You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God”.
-James 4:4
We are Christ’s ambassadors. Sadly, even many people who think of themselves as followers of Jesus Christ often forge this spiritual truth.
Peter wrote:
“Dear friends, I urge you as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul” – 1 Peter 2:11
This world is not your home, so don’t make yourselves cozy in it.
Don’t indulge your ego at the expense of your soul.
God warns us to NOT get too attached to what’s around us, because it is all temporary. Those in frequent contact with the things of the world should make good use of them without becoming attached to them, for this world and all its contains will pass away.
(See 1 Corinthians 7:31).
With all the fascinating attractions, mesmerizing media, and enjoyable experiences available today, we are constantly entertained, amused and catered to. Hence it’s easy to forget that the pursuit of happiness is not what life is all about!
Only as we remember that life is a test, or trust, and a temporary assignment in preparation for eternity will the appeal of these ‘good’ but secondary things lose grip on our lives. We are preparing for something even better.
“The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.”
-2 Corinthians 4: 18.

The fact that earth is not our ultimate home explains why we experience difficulty, sorrow, and rejection in this world.
It also explains why some of God’s promises seem unfulfilled, some prayers seem unanswered, and some circumstances seem unfair.
In order to keep us from becoming too attached to earth, God allows us to feel a significant amount of discontent and dissatisfaction in life – longings that will never be fulfilled. We’re not completely happy here because we’re not supposed to be.
Coz we’re created for something much more wonderful!
Likewise, a fish would never be happy living on land because it was made for water. An eagle could never feel satisfied if it wasn’t allowed to fly.
You will have many happy moments on earth, but it’s nothing compared with what God has planned for you.
“We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal”. – 2 Corinthians 4:18.
It is a fatal mistake to assume that God’s goal for your life is material prosperity or popular success, as the world defines it.
An abundant life has nothing to do with material abundance, and faithfulness to God does not guarantee success. God is far more interested in your character than your comfort!
He’s more interested in what you are becoming than in making life easy for you.
Remember, life is a test.
St. Paul was faithful to God, yet he ended up in prison.
John the Baptist, and millions of faithful people have been martyred, have lost everything, or have come the end of life with nothing to show for it in the world’s eyes.
But in God’s eyes, the greatest heroes are not those who achieve prosperity, success and power in this life, but those who treat life as a temporary assignment and serve faithfully, expecting their promised reward in eternity.
Your time on earth is not the complete story of your life. The rest of the chapters must wait until Heaven.
When life gets tough, when you’re overwhelmed with doubt, or when you wonder if living for Christ is worth the effort, remember that you are not home yet!
There may not be recognition, cheering crowds, red carpet for you on earth, but keep the hope alive that all these are temporary and of NO eternal values.

Part 2: LIFE ON EARTH IS A TRUST
God has entrusted to our care and management:
Our time, energy, intelligence, opportunities, relationships and resources.
They are gifts. We are stewards, or managers of whatever God gives us.
God is the owner of everything & everyone on earth.
We never really own anything during our brief stay on earth – God just loans it to us while we’re here.
When God created Adam & Eve, He entrusted the care of His creation to them & appointed them as trustees of His property.
“God blessed them and said to them: “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground: - Genesis 1:28.
Part of our purpose today is to manage and take care of God’s creations on earth. This role has never been rescinded.
Everything we enjoy is to be treated as a trust that God has placed in our hands.
“What do you have that you did not receive?
And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?
(as if you have accomplished something on your own). – 1 Corinthians 4:7

“The world and all that is in it belong to the Lord; the earth and all who live on it are His” – Psalm 24:1.

Our human nature says, “If I don’t own it, I don’t have to take care of it”. But God expects us to live by a higher standard: Because God owns it, I must take the best care of it that I possibly can.
“Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful” – 1 Corinthians 4:2.

In the story of the talents, a businessman entrusts his wealth to the care of his servants while he’s away. When he returns, he evaluates each servant’s responsibility and rewards them accordingly.
At the end of your life on earth you will be evaluated and rewarded according to how well you handled what God entrusted to you.
That means, EVERYTHING you do, even simple daily chores, has eternal implications.
Money, as most people fail to realize, is both a test & a trust from God.
He uses finances to teach us to trust Him.
He watches how we use money to test how trustworthy we are. Money can be the greatest test of all.
“So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches” (of heaven). – Luke 16:11.
God says there’s a direct relationship between how I use my money and the quality of my spiritual life!
Is the way you manage your money preventing God from doing more in your life?
Can God trust you with spiritual riches?
Jesus said, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded;
And from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked”
-Luke 12:48.
Life is a test, and a trust. The more God gives you, the more responsible He expects you to be.

Part 1: LIFE ON EARTH IS A TEST(Excerpts from ‘What On Earth Am I Here For’ by Rick Warren)
God continually tests people’s character, faith, obedience, love, integrity, and loyalty. Words like trials, temptations, refining and testing occur more than 200 times in God’s word.
God tested Abraham by asking him to offer his son, Isaac.
God tested Jacob when he had to work extra years to earn Rachel as his wife.
Adam & Eve failed their test in the Garden of Eden.
David failed his tests from God on several occasion.
Others who passed personal tests of character:
Joseph, Ruth, Esther, Daniel, Job etc.
Character is both developed and revealed by tests, and all of life is a test.
You are always being tested.
God constantly watches your response to people, problems, success, conflicts, illness, disappointment, and even the weather!
He even watches the simplest actions such as when you open a door for others, when you pick up a piece of trash, or when you’re polite toward a waitress or attendant.
We don’t know all the tests God will give you, but we can predict some of them, based on the Bible.
You will be tested by major changes, by delayed promises, by impossible problems, by unanswered prayers, by undeserved criticism, and even by senseless tragedies.God sometimes tests our faith through problems. Hope ~ by how we handle possessions, and love ~ through people.
One very important test is how you act when you CAN’T FEEL God’s presence in your life. Sometimes God intentionally draws back, and we don’t sense His closeness.
A king named Hezekiah experienced this test.
The Bible says, “God withdrew from Hezekiah in order to test him and see what was really in his heart”. – 2 Chronicles 32:31.
Hezekiah had enjoyed a close fellowship with God, but at a crucial point in his life, God left him alone to test his character, to reveal a weakness, and to prepare him for more responsibility.
When you understand that life is a test, you realize that nothing is insignificant in your life. Even the smallest incident has significance for your character development.
Everyday is an important day,
and every second is a growth opportunity to deepen your character, to develop your love, or to depend on God.
Some tests seem overwhelming while others you don’t even notice.
But all of them have eternal implications.
God wants you to pass the tests of life, that’s why He never allows them to be greater than the grace He gives you to handle them.
God keeps His promise, and He will not allow you to be tested beyond your power to remain firm; at the time you are put to the test, He will give you the strength to endure it, and so provide you with a way out.
Every time you pass a test, God notices.
He makes plans to reward you in eternity.
“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him”
-James 1:12