While I lived in Kentucky, I knew a man named Maurino who worked in the tobacco farms. Needless to say, he did not have the proper documentation to work legally in the U.S., so he lived on the same farm where he worked. He would work hard, keep whatever he needed to survive and send the bulk of his earnings back to Mexico. His dream was to build a corral and be able to buy a few cows back home. I visited him once and saw that the house he lived in was dilapidated, missing a wall, a part of the floor and with no utilities. So I asked him, doesn’t it bother you to have to live this way? He smiled and said to me, This is not my house; I will be going home soon. And so he did.
The Apostle Paul writes in Romans for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. This reflects a worldview. Because of the Resurrection of the Lord I understand perfectly that I do not belong to this world nor am I swayed by its pleasures. I belong to the Lord Jesus! When this worldview pervades the heart and mind of the Christian not only are we at peace, we are bold in our Christian lifestyle.
Today I heard of Christian families gathering with their families to celebrate Resurrection Sunday. Amidst the joy and laughing, a bomb went off and twenty nine children were dead. Without a worldview that defines our life as sojourners on this earth and the faith to believe it, our world collapses in the face of suffering. But the message of the Lord Jesus is, don’t worry about anything; I am going to build you a home where we can all be together, whether you live or die. But until then, I am with you!
See you in Church,
April 2, 2016