Are You Living Like a Tramp?

Want to arrange a four-day holiday stay in one of London’s swankiest areas – for under $500? Well, you missed your chance by about 7 years.

In 2001, Kamstra Travel firm offered just such an opportunity, and titled it, ”Live Like a Tramp in London.” Participants would each be given a sleeping bag and their choice of either a musical instrument or a sketch pad and pencil. Then they would be dropped off to fend for themselves in some of the most desirable zip codes of London. There, themoviechannel.com reported, “they will have to try and earn a crust. Failure to do so means they must beg, steal or borrow their way to a meal each day.” Only on the last night would they be taken to a good hotel for a decent meal and a good night’s sleep.

Needless to say, the scheme was not met with approval from London police, who warned of the dangers involved and threatened arrest. Nor was it welcomed by London’s homeless charities, who felt that the “holiday” trivialized the plight of homeless people.

Whether Kamstra actually pulled this all off is unclear. Spiritually speaking, however, it is clear that many of us “live like a tramp” in the best zip code of God’s Kingdom. For as Pastor Rick reminded us Sunday, believers have already been seated with Christ in heavenly places: “God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:6 NIV).

Yet we often sit there like beggars trying to earn a crust. We shiver in fear. We clutch our meager possessions. We worry about tomorrow, Surely our behavior trivializes what Christ bought for us with His blood.

Does that mean life is never difficult or dangerous? No, Christians still walk on terra firma like everyone else. We have real dilemmas and experience real dangers from a real enemy. But God has promised to protect and care for us while we “set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Col. 3:1-4 NIV).

We can choose to live like a tramp in the kingdom - running from the Law, groveling for daily sustenance, fearful of what lurks in the darkness - but the scheme does not meet with God’s approval. It’s spiritually dangerous, a horrible advertisement for the Kingdom, and a mockery of the Cross.

He’d far rather we’d hand in our sketch pads and tin horns, and enjoy our position in Christ as we sit in the heavenly realms with Him.