Our Heavenly Citizenship

-


Scripture: Philippians 3:20 (ESV)

20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,

Devotion:

            I believe in America. However, as a Christian I am called to believe in Jesus above my country. My true and final citizenship, the place where I owe my last ounce of devotion is heaven. The people to whom this letter of Paul is addressed, the church at Philippi, were proud of their citizenship as well. They were full citizens of Rome with all the benefits that it had to offer. This portion of the letter would have been hard for them to hear. Perhaps even harder to obey.

            As we in the United States of America are proud of our citizenship. With all the rights and benefits that citizenship entails. We as Christians must seek to be true citizens of Heaven. Laying claim to all the benefits and rights that entails. We cannot claim the gift of eternal life with Jesus in heaven if we are not going to acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus over our lives here on earth.

            It is a struggle I will be the first to admit. I claim a family line that came to the colonies in 1649 Massachusetts. A pastor brought his whole church over to this new land to escape persecution in their homeland of England. My forefathers fought in the war of the revolution as well as every conflict the United States entered up to World War II. I have a debt of gratitude to my family that I can never fully repay. They paid the price for my freedom.

            My family left me an even deeper calling, however. Just as they fought for my freedom and rights as an American, they also realized they were citizens of heaven. They served the Prince of Peace with all of their hearts. Living and dying for the cause of Jesus. From my first American ancestors fleeing religious oppression in England, they served the church in any way possible. They instructed their children and their children’s children the importance of having a saving relationship with Jesus and a citizenship in heaven. They were faithful to their duties as citizens of Heaven.

            The people of the church at Philippi must have felt a similar struggle. On the one hand Roman citizenship offered immense benefits. Freedom to participate in Roman society and culture. For them having a heavenly citizenship required sacrificing some of those rights and freedoms for the cause of Christ. Such renouncing of Rome could put one’s very life in danger.

            It is no different here in America in the 21st century. Following Jesus, living as citizens of heaven may cost us more than we know. The America I live in today is losing the very freedoms that motivated my first ancestors to make that dangerous trip to an unknown land 373 years ago. They were seeking a place where they could practice living out their duties to heaven. Let us pray that we will be faithful to our heavenly calling. May we be faithful citizens of heaven.

Prayer:

            Lord thank you for men and women who came before us who were faithful to your kingdom. Let us be as faithful in our duties as kingdom people as they were. Lead us in the ways of your Son our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Welcoming the Unwelcome

-
  Scripture: Luke 7:36-38 (NIV) 36  When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37  A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38  As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and poured perfume on them. Devotion:             First of all, some warnings to my readers. This post will exceed the 500 words I try to limit my posts. Second, this post will contain content people may find offensive or otherwise unfit for print. Please understand that my purpose is neither to offend nor upset but to provoke thought and, hopefully, respectful dialog.             We will use Luke chapter seven as an aid to interpreting the events that occurred last Thursday at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. On that da
Read more

Father Forgive Them

-
  Scripture: Luke 23:33-34 (ESV) 33  And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34  And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Devotion:             The situation Jesus finds himself in here in today’s scripture is difficult for us to even imagine. A sham trial, no credible accusations of any kind, let alone any deserving of death, and yet here he is. A brilliant Rabbi, a teacher of the people who never led even one person astray from God’s will. This Holy One of God soon to be food for vultures.             This man who had done nothing wrong had no one in all the crowds who would speak up in his defense lest they be next to face the cross. An innocent man hung between two scoundrels. No voice from heaven declaring that this was the man that they were killing was actually the true Son of God. (See Matthew 3:17, Matthew 17:5, John 12:28) No the heaven
Read more

Transgenderism letter

-
  This is a copy of my letter to my senators, representative, and President Biden. January 15, 2024 Dear President Biden, Senators T. Duckworth, R. Durbin, and Representative D. LaHood             I am writing to you because I am concerned about the situation affecting our children and grandchildren, namely transitioning them from one gender to another. This nation must adjust course concerning these “interventions” because they are dangerous, irreversible, and life-changing. Our country should not be permitting these procedures on minor children under any circumstances. We must also make sure that adults who seek this care are given informed consent as to the risks versus benefits of sex reassignment treatments.             There are many drawbacks to gender-affirming care for minors. Besides the loss of any ability to give or receive sexual pleasure and sterility these treatments cause, there are social and psychological effects that we have no way of identifying because these
Read more