August 28, 2008 - Acts 7:6a

“’God spoke to him in this way: “Your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own….”’” Acts 7:6a.
Stephen retells the story of God speaking to Abraham to the religious authorities of his day. He reminds this audience how God said to Abraham how he and all of his descendants were to be strangers in a strange land. They were not to be “at home” in this new land. This “strangeness” in the new land would allow them – Abraham and his descendants – to be totally dependent on God and to make a new life according to His purposes.
In the summer of 2001, my wife, my youngest son, and I moved from Maryland to Pennsylvania, which does not sound too dramatic. Yet we left a life that was comfortable to us. It was one that we were accustomed to, and, at the time, we did not think that the move was going to be that dramatic. It proved to be very dramatic for us and forced us to come to terms with who we were serving and for what purpose. We very much found ourselves as “strangers in a strange land,” and, even though the ministry went great, our personal lives were challenged by how different the culture was compared to what we had been used to. Our dependence on God was challenged in a positive way.
What I have also discovered is that I do not have to move geographically to be challenged in this way. What it comes down to is whether or not I am going to live for my own comfort, with its own selfish endeavors, or choose to live for God’s kingdom, doing that which He bids me to go and to do.
Questions to consider: What country do you focus on – the kingdom of this world (the kingdom of self) or the kingdom of God? What does it look like in your life to live as a “stranger in a strange land?”
Prayer: Father, help me to see how I am not depending on You as I go through the comfort of each day. Forgive me for not relying on You and for getting lazy and too comfortable. Help me to know how I can get out of my comfort zone for You. Amen.