The Sojourner

The word “sojourner” was written on my heart almost four years ago now. I was beginning my senior year of high school and the Lord kept reminding me that I was a sojourner.

I remember laying in my bed late one night and thinking what does being a sojourner even mean? It wasn’t something that was being spoken about in the church and I couldn’t help but wonder why God continued to lay it on my heart.

So I began to research the word sojourn/sojourner in the Bible. The word sojourn is mentioned in the Bible 32 times. Way more then I would have guessed. In my research I came across two verses that stood out to me. The first being 2 Peter 2:11, “Beloved, I urge you as SOJOURNERS and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your souls” and the second Philipians 3:20, “But our citiczenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (ESV).

Being a sojourner means residing somewhere temporaily. It’s sorta like being a nomad, wandering from one place to the next. In biblical terms, being a sojourner means knowing that this world is not our home. That we were made for something greater. That God calls us not to the glory of this fallen planet, but the glory of living in heaven with Him. Being a sojourner means living with a kingdom mindset. It means not being caught up in the passions of our flesh. It means not numbing ourselves with social media. It means not over committing ourselves so that we feel accomplished. It means turning the other cheek, even in the unjust moments. It means laying down our selfish wants in order to walk in obedience to Him. The list can go on and on, but ultimately, being a sojourner means striving to look more like Jesus each and every day.

Jesus says in John 18:36 that this world is not His kingdom. Our citizenship is in heaven, remind yourself of that truth today. What great hope there is in knowing that this chaotic and dark world is not our home.

As sojourners, we must set our minds on the things that are above. It’s a choice we must make daily to live in the joy of His promise of eternal life with Him. It is not easy to surrender, it is not easy to deny our flesh, but it is easy to walk in the victory of the cross.

My brothers and sisters there is a war waging agianst our souls. So fight, let us be sojourners, living not like the world, but like our Savior, Jesus Christ.