Embracing Our Identity as Pilgrims

Broadcast 4231

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Hebrews‬ ‭11‬:‭13‬-‭16‬ ‭(NKJV‬‬) These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.”

In John Bunyan's classic Christian allegory, The Pilgrim’s Progress, the protagonist, Christian, embarks on a spiritual journey from the City of Destruction (representing this world) to the Celestial City (symbolizing the world to come). This story reflects the reality described in Hebrews 11:13, which identifies believers as “strangers and pilgrims on earth”—those who are merely passing through this world on their way to a heavenly homeland.

In our scripture reading, we see that patriarchs like Abraham fully understood and embraced this pilgrim identity. They lived in tents, demonstrating their detachment from earthly permanence, and waited in faith for “a city whose builder and maker is God.” Hebrews 11 reminds us that these patriarchs died without receiving the promises but saw them from afar and were assured of them. Their hope in God’s promises gave them the strength to forsake earthly pleasures and deny themselves certain liberties. They lived with the conscious awareness that this world was not their home. Not only did they identify as pilgrims, but they also refused to attach themselves to the fleeting things of this world.

Unfortunately, many believers today have neglected this vital reality. We have forgotten our identity as pilgrims and often invest our time, energy, and resources in temporal things that are passing away. Too often, we live primarily for the pleasures and successes of this world rather than the world to come. This is not to suggest that we should become so heavenly-minded that we are of no earthly good. After all, our Lord commanded us to "occupy until I come" (Luke 19:13).

Instead, I am advocating for a shift in identity—one that fundamentally transforms how we live as believers. By embracing our identity as pilgrims, we can focus on the eternal things that will lead us to the heavenly city that God has prepared for us.

Prayer: Lord, help me to rid myself of every distraction and embrace my identity as a pilgrim so that I may run with endurance the race to the heavenly city in Jesus' name. Amen.

—Kanyinsola Arigi

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Bible In 1 Year: James 4-5 (in today's audio)

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