FRIDAY October 1, 2021

Pilgrims, Witnesses, and Athletes

These [saints of old] all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were assured of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
Hebrews 11:13

In Scripture, Christians are called pilgrims, as were the saints of old––Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses and so many others who walked by faith as they sojourned in this world. Abraham sojourned on this earth, waiting by faith for a heavenly city:

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God (Hebrews 11:8-10).

Christians are called witnesses. We are to go to the ends of the world to tell other people about Jesus Christ and the victory that we have in Him:

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

The Bible also speaks of us as athletes. We are to run with our eyes fixed upon Jesus Christ, never looking down to the left or right or behind, but always looking to the Lord––focused on Jesus Christ. When a runner runs in a race, if he looks behind, in a matter of seconds he can lose the race. You have to keep your eyes forward––straight ahead to the Lord.

As a believer in Christ, you are a stranger on this earth––a pilgrim, a witness, and an athlete. As such, you are actually just passing through this world––this is not your home.

In the truest sense, Christian pilgrims have the best of both worlds. We have joy whenever this world reminds us of the next, and we take solace whenever it does not.
~C.S. Lewis~

For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!