Stranger

“I am a stranger in the earth: hide not thy commandments from me.” (Psalm 119:19)

All of us, at some point in time (if not all the time) have felt like a stranger in a strange land. But the connotation of stranger goes far beyond the feeling of being an alien.

“Stranger” is transliterated from the Hebrew, “Ger”. It means a sojourner, a temporary inhabitant, a newcomer lacking inherited rights (Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon).

We really need to look past the stranger aspect and focus on the other components. We are travelers, not residents, traveling through this realm. We are newcomers, so the ways and customs of this earth are foreign to us. And most important, we have no inherent rights here on earth. The last part should be a rude awakening for many, especially in this rights conscious world that we live in today.

Everyone is scrambling for their individual rights. Gay rights. Black rights. Women’s rights. Right to choose. But those rights are of this earth, not of God. These “rights” you will notice have their roots in pride, the very sin that brought down Adam and Eve.

Christian, listen up! You have no rights in this world. You don’t want your rights tied to this world, for this world is temporary and will dissolve away. This world will melt with a fervent heat.

“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?” (2 Peter 3: 10-12)

Why, Oh why do you want to invest your citizenship and your rights in that which is going away?

“For our conversation (citizenship/commonwealth) is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20).

Our citizenship, our home is with God. The world is temporal, which gratifies the carnal man. But it is also temporary so, “look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ”. And according to His promise, look for a, “new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” (2 Peter 3:13).

Rights come from God, they are of God. Our home is with God. We are children of God.

Presently we are a stranger, a sojourner, an alien. We are working our way home. Do not let this world seduce you into denouncing your heavenly citizenship and all of the divine rights inherent thereof.

Bill Hitchcock