134. Переселенец

We see in the world that people move from place to place, from one village to another, and from village to another village, and from city to another city, and move to live, and transfer all their movable property there, and are called migrants. So true Christians, who have living faith, like a lamp, in their hearts, with their hearts and thoughts migrate from this world to the next age; They are born into the world, but migrate to the heavenly Fatherland. Saint Paul, Christ’s chosen vessel, speaks about this with all the faithful: Our citizenship is in heaven, from where we await the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ (Phil. 3:20). We live on earth with our bodies, but our souls are in heaven. Christ the Lord, our Head, went there; there we, His members, hasten, strive and sigh. Our Forerunner Jesus Christ the Lord went there, and there we look and follow. He draws us there as His own. There is our Fatherland, there is our home, there is our heritage, there is our estate, wealth, honor, glory, consolation, joy and all bliss. Therefore, such people in this world do not seek anything other than what is necessary, and nothing in this world can amuse them, which amuses the sons of this age. Such do not lay up treasures for themselves on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break through and steal, but they lay up for themselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroy and where thieves do not break through and steal (Matthew 6:19-20). They do not have it in their hearts to build rich and beautiful houses, to add and multiply lands, estates and peasants, to achieve high honor, to acquire fame and praise in this world, and so on, about which the sons of this age care and worry. For where their treasure is, there will their heart be also (Matthew 6:21). Their treasure is in heaven, and there their heart turns. But they are content with the worldly and temporary things that they have, thinking and speaking with the apostle: For we have brought nothing into the world; It’s obvious that we can’t take anything out of it. Having food and clothing, we will be content (1 Tim. 6:7–8). These are signs and signs of a true Christian and a faithful servant of Christ. Such a person, although he has wealth, although he has honor and glory in the world, is not consoled by any of this, but his heart is always in heaven, where his true treasure is. Everywhere in this world such a person lives the same way, no matter where he lives, for life in this world is for him exile and exile. Everywhere he is, he lifts up his mournful eyes to his beloved Fatherland - heaven, and sighs to it, desiring to be clothed in our heavenly dwelling (2 Cor. 5:2), and with the holy prophet he cries out heartily: How desirable are your dwellings, O Lord of Hosts! My soul longs in every way for the courts of the Lord (Ps. 83:2-3), and so on. Christian! Let us also move with our hearts to our heavenly Fatherland, and we will not desire or seek anything in the world except what is necessary. There everything is prepared for us by our Heavenly Father. Why are we looking for something that is not ours? Let us look for that heavenly treasure that is truly ours and will be with us forever. Let us leave everything worldly in the world, and we will depart naked from the world, just as naked people entered the world. We do not have a permanent city here, but we are looking for the future (Heb. 13:14). You might be interested in: