 Fall is my favorite season of the year. I love the crisp breeze, the sound of crunching leaves, and the smell of woodsmoke. But it won’t be long before this season passes, and winter’s cold, dreary days appear again.
 As Christians, this world is not our home. We are sojourners and exiles in this world (see 1 Pt. 2:11). We are citizens of heaven (see Phil. 3:20). Like Abraham, we look “… forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God” (Heb. 11:10 ESV). How, then, should we live as exiles?
 I admire the apostle Paul for several reasons. One of them being his persistent prayer for the churches to whom he ministers. He makes it clear in his letters how thankful he is for the churches and how he prays for them often.
 Does the grace of God have an effect in your life?
The apostle Paul writes, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:8-10 ESV).  What does a successful life look like?
In our Americanized way of thinking, we usually answer that question with things like a nice home, a stable relationship, and a steady job with a good salary. Of course, none of those things are wrong in and of themselves. But we must never forget how, as followers of Christ, our definition of success must be shaped by God’s kingdom rather than this world. |