Christ is our home, our fortress, our peace, our security, our abode, our place of rest. Paul says, "We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord" (II Corinthians 5:8). We have been chosen to be with Jesus forever (John 17:24).

When we leave this fleshly body and go to be with the Lord Jesus we shall be at home. Then we shall be ready to enter our inheritance in Him and with Him.

If we are to understand why the nations and the ends of the earth have been given to Christ and His saints as their eternal inheritance and home, rather than streets of gold in Heaven, emeralds, luxurious mansions, and so forth, we must give some thought to the concept of what constitutes a home.

If we believe that pearls, gold, elegant estates will bring rest and joy to the heart of Christ or His saints, we understand neither the Nature of God nor the nature of man.

The only treasure that brings eternal joy and contentment to the heart of Christ and to the heart of His saints is the love that flows from God through Christ through His saints to other people. No other treasure begins to compare in value with such relationships.

This is why the Father, on the supremely momentous occasion when the beloved Word of God was to become the Son of God and Son of Man, advised the Choice One of His Heart to pray that the nations of the earth and the farthest reaches of the earth would become His eternal inheritance, His eternal joy, His eternal rest, His eternal home.

Again, we need to give some thought to the concept of a home.

Let us say a boy was raised in a wealthy home in a certain city. There his family enjoyed all of the luxuries of the world and were knit together in love. The neighborhood was friendly and at peace.

After a while the boy grew up and was called into the military service. While he was gone, financial reverses struck his father and he was forced to sell the estate and move to a much more humble residence in a smaller town. There he established himself in business and the family once again was happy and content.

Several years passed. The young man was discharged from the service and returned home. He had such fond memories of the former estate that he decided to visit there before going to the small town where his family now was located.

When he came to his former house he found that the new owners had kept up the elegant appearance. The lawns and gardens were neat and flourishing. The shrubbery was trimmed. The house was newly painted. A limousine gleamed in the long driveway.

But when he knocked on the door an unfamiliar face appeared. He did not recognize the voice that fell on his ears. A visit to the surrounding homes informed him that the families he had known from his earliest years had moved away. He was a stranger.

To be continued.