This World Is Not My Home

[Edwin]

At one time I thought all church songs/hymns were the same from one song/hymn book to the next. But after playing many of the church songs I am finding out that while they may be very close there are variations from one book to the next. Sometimes there are just a few notes that are different, and others have arrangers who have altered the songs a quite a bit. Some changes I like, and others I don't care for. There are some songs also that have the same words, but compeletely different tunes. Some songs are actually written to Christmas carole music. Then there are other songs that share the same tunes, but they are different songs. Some church songs use various countries music for their songs.

I am now playing out of a church song book by O.M. Knutson, The Christian Book Concern, Selected Gospel Songs Number Two. There are many really old church songs in it, and I enjoy this book very much. One church song I love is "Home of the Soul." It goes, "I will sing you a song of that beautiful land, The far away home of the soul, Where no storms ever beat on the glittering strand, While the years of eternity roll....repeated" I love both the tune and the message in the song.

Then I came across, "This World is not my Home." The tune took me by surprise because it is a little different from the regular tune, and it is nice. It is by Mrs. John T. Benson, and "As sung by Misses Taylor & Jeannette," whoever they were, I don't know, but it is a nice song. It goes, "I have left the land of death and sin, The road that many travel in; And if you ask the reason why, I see a glorious home on high. vrs 2 Ther are many who would my progress stay, And beg me not to fight or pray; I dare not listen to their cry, I seek a glorious home on high. vrs 3 O sinner, come and go with me, And seek this land of liberty; Oh, do not stay, but tell me shy You do not seek this home on high? Chorus: This world, this world is not my home, This world, this world is not my home, This world is not my resting place, This world, this world is not my home." Copyright, 1910, by John T. Benson, Nashville, Tenn. This is a little different than the other "This World Is Not My Home." The other says, "I'm just a passin through, my treasures are laid up, somewhere beyond the blue...." and so on.

[crisipicada]

Live everyday as in it is your last day. This has been I am always in my mind. The reality is that life is fleeting. What is important million years from now is not what we possess or acquire in life. We will leave them all when we move to the other side of the world - heaven or hell. So better share to people you meet everyday the good news - so that many people you will bring to heaven as we depart in this world. That is what matters most and what we cannot do when we are in heaven - we can no longer share the good news.

[Edwin]

Yes, Crisi, that is so true. The Bible says a lot about this life passing so quickly. Life is compared with a vapor that rises and disapates. It is also compared to the grass in the field. How quickly it goes from green to brown, and then it is gone. Also the flower how it blooms, then so quickly the bloom falls away. This reminds me of the Movie, "Dennis the Mennis." The old guy is baby sitting the little guy who is so full of mischief. The old guy has a plant that is only supposed to bloom once in many years, and the time has come. As the bloom is opening, Dennis does something to distract him, and I can't remember now what it was, as it has been a long time since I watched that movie. But the old guy looked away for just a moment, and he missed his once in a life time chance to see that bloom open. Our regular pastor is gone on vacation for a few weeks, and the youth pastor has been doing the preaching, as well as one of the young people, a guy about 18 years old last Sunday. Anyway this morning which is our Sunday morning, the youth pastor asked people when they had shared the good news. Was it last week sometime, was it even last night. He was saying that we need to be sharing the good news of the gospel. And, yes, it will be too late after we are dead and gone. My Dad used to say, and I'm sure he got it from somewhere, but he used to say, "the road to hell is paved with good intentions." It is true we can take nothing with us. It will not matter on that day how much wealth we had, or how much education we had. What will matter is how we have lived for God and shared His love with others.