We Really Are Aliens Here
Aliens are fascinating especially to children. They imagine little creatures with green skin, pointy antennas and shriveled up faces. There are countless TV shows, movies and books speculating whether or not aliens exist, and there are even stories of those who have supposedly had alien encounters. Our own children used to laugh at me, because I taught them that we are ALIENS. “No, we aren’t!”, they would say. Then I showed them that the Bible says we are ALIENS here on earth. Peter talks about this in 1 Peter 1:1-2 New American Standard Bible (italics mine):
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit
So there it is! Yes, we are ALIENS! No we don’t have green skin, but if we are following Jesus, we ought to look different than those around us who aren’t following Him. After all, we are living with HOPE; the hope of eternal life through Jesus. Those who do not follow Jesus will have a totally different mindset than we do. So it makes sense that we would be different than them in every aspect- we ought to talk differently, act differently, live differently. We see this spelled out in 1 Peter 2:11 NASB (italics mine):
Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.
Those in the world don’t have to abstain from anything. As Christians, however, we abstain, because we are living our lives to please God. And this is not our permanent home either, only a temporary one. We are just passing through! Hebrews 11:13-16 NASB (italics mine again) describes the attitude which we should have:
All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.
We seek after our permanent home with Him, a better country, our heavenly home. And since this earth is not our permanent home, we ought to be comfortable feeling uncomfortable here. It’s ok if we feel like aliens here, because we SHOULD feel like aliens. We shouldn’t feel like we belong here at all, because we don’t! If we don’t feel uncomfortable, if we don’t feel some friction living in the world, maybe we should ask ourselves whether we have let the world rub off on us too much. I’m including myself here-I ask myself, do I look too much like the world, or do I look like and feel like an ALIEN here?
1 Peter 1:17 NASB (more italics from me) says we have a “stay” here on earth:
If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth;
And it’s a relatively short stay in light of eternity! So mom’s teach your children that it’s ok to be and feel different than those around them in the world, because after all
WE ARE ALIENS WITH A SHORT STAY VISITING HERE ON EARTH.
In His Love,
Suzanne
Mom Morsels 