Week 29 Bible Reading: Philippians 3:17–4:1

Our homeland is in heaven, and we are waiting for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, to come from heaven. - Philippians 3:20 ICB

Shortly after Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency ended in 1909, he went on a hunting safari to Africa. When the former presi- dent returned to the United States after the safari, he was on the same ship as a missionary who was retiring after forty years of service for God in a remote jungle village. When the ship docked back home, a cheering crowd greeted Roosevelt, but not a single person was there to welcome the returning missionary.

At first, the missionary felt sorry for himself. He thought, When a president comes home after a short hunting trip, hundreds come out to greet him. But Lord, when one of your missionaries comes home after a lifetime of service, no one is there to meet him. Immediately he felt as if the Lord was saying to him, “But My son, you are not home yet.”

What did this mean? It meant that this world we live in, as great as it is, is not all there is. Look at Philippians 3:20. As a Christian, your eternal citizenship is not of this world. Someday you’ll receive the real welcome from God in heaven. Sounds pretty cool, right?

Theodore Roosevelt, the twenty-sixth president of the United States, was an uncle of Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of the thirty-second president, Franklin Roosevelt.