Homeward Bound

Where’s your home?

When I meet someone new I like to ask them where they’re from. Sometimes they’ll tell me where they live right now. So my next question is, “Where were you born and raised?” or “Where are you from originally? Where’s ‘home’?”

“Home is where the heart is.” Home is where you head for Thanksgiving and Christmas, if you can. It’s family, friends and a place where you sense you belong. Home is a place where you can rest. It’s where you feel safe and secure.

Often it’s right where you are. For others it’s a place far away in another state or another country. But wherever it is, it’s an anchor for your life. It helps define who you are.

Sometimes home is where you yearn to be. In the old Simon & Garfunkel standard “Homeward Bound” the lyrics speak of a seemingly endless concert tour. Then the pair admits, “And every stranger’s face I see / reminds me that I long to be / homeward bound.”

For the God-follower, the Bible says that home will one day be with God in Heaven.

Now hold on just a minute. Doesn’t the believer have a home here on earth?

Absolutely. But his or her desire is to, one day, be with the Lord forever. That’s why, after a Christian’s funeral, you’ll sometimes hear it said, “He (or she) is home with the Lord.”

The Bible says of the Old Testament patriarch, Abraham, “By faith…he was looking forward to the city whose architect and builder is God.” His quest didn’t keep him from setting up homes in the different places he lived in the Middle East. But as a God-seeker he knew he wouldn’t really be home until he was in the presence of God.

According to the Bible we will all be somewhere forever. Where will your home be?

When you get to the end of your life what do you expect to find on the other side? How do you hope to get there? Are you sure—sure enough to bet your life?

For the Christ follower, the Bible promises a heavenly home. It’s a place much better than sitting on a cloud and playing a harp. It’s better than you can even imagine.

First, Jesus said he was going away to prepare a place for those whose faith and trust are in him for salvation. Then he said he would come back to take them to be with him.

To that the Apostle Paul added, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” Heaven is too wonderful for words.

Some people think that Christians are crazy to pin their hopes on an ancient book. And with all the religions in the world there’s nothing wrong with a healthy skepticism. But when you examine the evidence, the Bible alone stands the test of time. No other book comes close.

Yes, some of its authors had visions. Many were eyewitnesses of events they recorded. Others thoroughly interviewed eyewitnesses and examined evidence. On top of that, hundreds of prophecies the Bible recorded have come true. It has more than 40 authors but they all agree that to make it to your eternal home takes faith in God--faith in the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ.

You owe it to yourself to check it out. Don’t just take my word for it. Start with the New Testament book called the Gospel of John and take Jesus’ challenge. He said, “If anyone chooses to do God’s will he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.” He added, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul! --And it will get you home.