An Alien in America

Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.

1 Peter 2:11

This is the third time Peter has mentioned this already, 1:1 “To God’s elect, strangers in the world,” 1:17 “live your lives as strangers here…” This must be an important concept. If you follow Jesus, do you consider yourself a temporary resident?

We lived in Canada for about 10 years. We were aliens. The technical terms was “landed immigrant.” Under that designation, I could earn a living and pay taxes. But I was not permitted to vote or hold public office. And I couldn’t learn to like hockey. I know all the words to the Canadian National Anthem and enjoy it, but it’s not my anthem. I loved Canada, but I was an American living in Canada, an alien, never a Canadian.

The reality is that even though I’ve been back in the United States for 15 years, I’m still an alien. I say that because as a follower of Christ, this place is my temporary residence. Do you see yourself that way? Really? You belong to Jesus, not America. Your home is heaven, not this world. You are an alien. You’re not completely settled here. There are things you like and enjoy, but it is not home. This is not where you get your identity. Take this seriously and it changes how you look at life and how you react to a hostile world.