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Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in this world, to abstain from the temporal longings, which war against your soul. Rather, live such good lives among the people here that, even though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see the goodness of your work and glorify God on the day that He visits us.

There are some days that I get a longing. No matter what's going on here, whether times are good or bad, I just get this feeling deep within me that looks for something else. It's like a tiny itch in the back of my mind, the faintest glimmer on the edge of my vision, an almost inaudible whisper that reminds me, "This place is not your home."

And truthfully, there are sometimes when it seems to go away. When I am surrounded and safe in the company of the ones who I love and when I am surrounded by the beauty of nature; sufficiently removed from my worries and stress. But even then there is something missing. And this notion of home is what seems to drive a lot of the thoughts and images in the songs that I write.

The song that I'm sharing with you today was the first one that I ever composed. It was written in response to a talk that I was giving for a community youth gathering last summer. I was that guy who spoke and sang a song at the same time. But as much as I didn't want to, I felt and still feel that the song was important enough to share, because it has a timely message.

And its simply this: If you believe in the resurrection of Jesus, then this place is not your home. This doesn't mean, act like a traveling American and assume that this foreign place should bend to your desires and values. Rather, carefully keep watch over your soul and live out the goodness of your homeland, so that even though the people here will note your difference and possibly try to accuse you of doing wrong, they won't be able to stand up against the weight of goodness that results.

This begs the question...what is good?

Well, I'll give you my two conclusions.

1. Jesus is good.

If you follow Him and attempt to live by His words, you will do good. You will produce "good fruit". In my opinion, there is no better way to live. Living the Jesus Way is the only real hope that exists.

But if for some reason that seems too complicated, or you have a problem with the Jesus you have been shown, or you have some problem with reading the Bible, you can do the following.

2. Trading in your treasure is good.

Almost all of what Jesus encouraged his followers to do can be summed up in this. In this world there is a hierarchy of value. It goes as follows: Life, Power, Currency. These are the treasures of this world. Without life, the other two are pointless, but with enough power, you can do anything, and with enough currency, you can do almost anything.

What is good, in my opinion, is willing expending the riches of this world on those who are poor. That is how you trade in your treasure. Meaning, be willing to give your money, your power, and your own life for the sake of others.

Now I tricked you because you really can't do the second without Hope in Jesus. The only way you should lay down your life is if you believe in the resurrection. Paul notes in 1 Corinthians 15 if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all others.

But the song that I wrote is simply all about asking for the faith to follow Jesus down that narrow road. The road in which we trade in the currency of this world for the currency of our home with God in the life to come.

What is that currency? I'm not exactly sure. But I'm willing to bet my life I won't be disappointed by the exchange.



Hope That's True

A garden, a tree, a promised land
All signs of a loving father's hand
Which tree will we choose? an eternal fight
The fruit brought us death, the cross bought life

will i be among the faithful few
who loved not this world and followed you
with hope that is not in gold, but hope that true

jesus one thing I ask of thee
make me not rich, but make me free
to live for a world, that’s real, but hard to see

See how this place has made us blind
The light of the world is now hard to find
Have we gained it all, just to lose our soul?
Oh Father we’re lost, you’re our only hope!

chorus

This place gets stranger by the day
cause its not my home
stranger by the day
my life is not my own
stranger by the day
I'm just a stranger here by day,
and yours for life

One day he’ll make all these old things new
He’s promised a home, where pain is through
Then the life we have sought will have just begun
Here we may crawl but there we will run

chorus