WHERE IS YOUR CITIZENSHIP NOW AND WHERE WILL IT BE IN THE FUTURE?

SCRIPTURE:
But our citizenship is in heaven.  And we eagerly await 
a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 
(Philippians 3:20)

MEDITATION:
Anticipation for something good can be an exciting time of life, can’t it?
When is the last time you anxiously looked forward to something?
What was the last thing you could hardly wait to see or receive?
Was it a big game for the team you like? 
Was it a gift from a friend or family member?
Was it an opportunity to do something you wanted to do for a long time?
Was it something that you wanted to do for someone else?

Remember those feelings of anticipation you had?
This is the same type of excitement believers should have when 
anticipating the Lord Jesus Christ returning to take us to our new home!
When we commit our lives to the Lord, we lose our citizenship to the world,
but we gain a new citizenship in heaven.
Our status is changed from “citizen of the world” to “alien of the world”.
It has to be that way because we no longer belong to the world.

It is only natural that we would no longer feel comfortable in the world.
We have a new culture and a new language.
Additionally, we develop new habits, attitudes, likes, and dislikes.
We trade unrighteousness for righteousness. 

One of Mark Twain’s quotes was,
“You go to heaven for the climate; you go to hell for the company”.
Of course his comment is far from the truth
because we go to heaven to be with our Savior.
However he makes a good point in the second part of his quote – there are 
way too many who have not changed their citizenship and have a destiny 
to spend an eternity with all the others who have remained the same.
It is a wrong (and sad) choice that too many people have made.

If we are traveling to a new city, 
we like to find out as much about it as we can before we leave.
Since we will be moving to a new home in heaven, 
we should have a desire to know something about it.

Fortunately we have the Bible to give us the information 
we need to know about being a citizen of heaven.
We need to start applying what we learn to our lives now, so that when 
we get to heaven, there won’t be a tremendous amount of change for us.
In other words, believers should start living as citizens of heaven 
while they are living as aliens in the world.

ACTION:
What does your citizenship card say about you?
Are you a citizen of the world and following its philosophies and principles, 
or have you exchanged them for those expected of heavenly citizens?
It is a choice you have to make since you cannot have both.
If you still feel comfortable with the worldly ideologies, 
then your citizenship has not changed.
You can start living now with the traits you will have in heaven.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for Your promise of citizenship in 
heaven for all the people who have faith in You and have sincerely 
committed their lives to You. Help me to realize that rejection or
exclusion by those in the world, could indicate that my citizenship 
has changed. Teach me to enjoy my new status instead of feeling 
down because I no longer ‘fit in” with those of this world. Help me 
to realize that whatever trials I am faced with, I can find comfort in 
Your promise of heaven and my destiny to be with You.”