The Bottom Line, Ministries Christian News, Articles, & Poetry 
The stranger listens as those around him talk, sharing their experiences. Standing at a distance, he observes their behaviors and watches as their choices play out in their lives. The pilgrim is on a journey called life—in a foreign land where he will never fully belong. He looks forward to reaching his true home. The alien is different from those around him, and they know it. The faith with which he lives affects his every choice, making those around him who live for themselves very uncomfortable. The stranger, the pilgrim, and the alien…they live life hand-in-hand with God in this world while looking forward to their eternal home. They gladly give up today’s pleasures for tomorrow’s reward. They are described in the First Book of Peter this way:
1 Peter 2:11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;
1 Peter 2:11, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.
There is a war for our soul–our mind, will, and emotions. It is a spiritual battle where good and evil tug at the heart, and a choice is made. When Christ enters a life the new journey begins. The believer finds that they are becoming a stranger to their former ways. They look forward to their eternal place in heaven, understanding that they are pilgrims in this world and merely passing through. They become aliens to the lustful and selfish ways of the world. This is the life of a Christian–a life centered on things eternal.
Are you a stranger to the ways of this world? Do you live as a pilgrim passing through, or do you live solely for today? Have you become an alien to the life lived in sin? How would you describe your life as a Christian in this world?
If you wish to take the first steps towards new life in Him, we can help with salvation assistance at The Bottom Line Ministries!
KJV, NASB, biblegateway.com
