This World is Not my Home

"Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised."

(Job 1:21)

Honestly, I am not sure why preachers love to use this verse during funerals and wakes. Maybe, we could better identify with this verse at mourning season. My reflection of this verse this morning tells me that this is an all-time verse.

#1) This is a verse of Stewardship

It simply brings out that God is the Master, we are His steward. Including all material possession; blessings; health; gifts; relationships, the gift of life and all that is found in planet earth. We cannot give anything to ourselves, only God could.

Therefore, everything on earth is just a loan to the earthlings. There is a time we must return 'all loans' to the Master. The call for us is to be responsible and accountable in the 'loan period' that we do take good care and to fulfill the 'terms and guidelines' tied to the loan. 

Ownership is not ours; Stewardship is.

#2) It is verse of Worship

How we handle what we have been given is an act of worship. Our thoughts, our actions, our language and even the intent of our hearts is an act and expression of worship.

To be able to acknowledge that 'The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away' requires a still soul, a surrendered heart and a sound biblical mindset.

Our belief system governs our thoughts; promotes feelings and prompts our behaviour. Most importantly and essentially, our belief system must arrived from the truth, the Word of God.

This verse points us back to the Rightful Sole Owner and Master. It gives us the basis of how we should response and not react when 'loans' are being removed from us at times, usually unexpectedly times.

If this is so, why gripped on to our 'loans' so tightly? Loans are temporal and on short term leased.

Learning and never on graduation - The art of 'Holding Gently' and not 'Gripping Tightly' onto the loans.

Remember, it must be returned to the owner. And the Owner has always His alarming, painful yet gentle ways of reminding me whenever forgetfulness slips in.

It calls me for a heart of surrender. And in sweet surrender, is worship.

#3) It is a verse of Kingship

I love to be king. King of my life, king of all my relationships, my possession, my ministries. "I, Me, Myself' is so attractive and tempting. (The heart is deceitful. Check it out). Though we proclaim ourselves to be followers of Christ, there will be incidents and traces when the King of Self will merge its ugly head.

The King of Self loves to completes with the King of Glory. Sometimes, cleverly camouflage with noble and spiritual reasons. Until and unless the counterfeit glory is stripped to its nakedness, we will still be like Moses, who puts a veil over his face of what is literally passing away. (2 Cor 3:13)

'May the Name of the Lord be praised' is often happily shouted in the midst where we usually gained outwardly or regained again.

'May the Name of the Lord be praised' is often joyfully proclaimed in the midst where we are outwardly wasting away, inwardly renewed. 

Same praise with two different tones and voice of the heart.

Nothing right or wrong. It is just the timing of the Lord for the lessons to learn in seasons.

So, when the time comes for the King to give, Praise Him.

When the time comes for Him to take, Praise Him.

We may not understand why and He doesn't owe us any explanation either.

We just need to understand one underlying truth:

He is the King and He is Lord. It is in His Sovereign and Providential Will for Him to give and to take.

He numbered it.

Conclusion:

1) This verse is not to be understood and only known at mourning season. It is a sweet surrendered journey from day to day.

2) At all times, do not be caught with an unguarded; unprepared and unwilling heart.

For Stewardship and Worship calls for the saints' responses.

However, Kingship is solely His.

Don't try to change that; and we never could.

3) When the Lord gives you pain now, it is to protect you from further future pain.

When the Lord allows some loses in you now, it is to keep you from further damaging loses in the future.

When the Lord removes the good from you, it is just that He is going to give you the best.

He is the King.

One of My Favourite Song (in Sunday School days) - This World is not my Home


This world is not my home I'm just passing through
my treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue
the angels beckon me from Heaven's open door
and I can't feel at home in this world anymore

O Lord you know I have no friend like you

*** Chorus
if Heaven's not my home then Lord what will I do?
the angels beckon me from Heaven's open door
and I can't feel at home in this world anymore

They're all expecting me and that's one thing I know

My savior pardoned me and now I onward go
I know He'll take me through though I am weak and poor
and I can't feel at home in this world anymore


Just up in Glory Land we'll live eternally
the Saints on every hand are shouting victory
their song of sweetest praise drifts back from Heaven's shore
and I can't feel at home in this world anymore