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

BIBLE PASSAGE:
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 was 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 your favorite team? 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 must be that way  
because we no longer belong to the world.

It’s only natural that we would no longer feel comfortable in the world.
We have a new culture. new goals, new aspirations, and a new language.
Additionally, we develop new habits, attitudes, likes, and dislikes. We
have chosen to 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”.

There is some truth in the first part of his comment, but the main reason
we go to heaven is – to be with our Savior. However, he does make a good
point in the second part of his quote – there are way too many who have
not changed their citizenship and consequently, have a destiny to spend
an eternity with all the others who have remained the same.

It’s a wrong (and sad) choice that too many people have made. And why?
We could speculate many reasons, but their motivation to remain the same
might be a desire to ‘fit in’ with worldly people and to be liked and accepted
by them.

If we are traveling to a new city, we like to find out as much about it as we can
before we make the trip. We want to know what we can expect when we arrive
at our destination. Since we will be moving to a new home in heaven, we should
have a desire to know something about it, shouldn’t we?

Fortunately, we have the Bible to provide us with the information we need to
know about being a citizen of heaven. We need to start applying to our lives
now what we are taught so that when we get to heaven, it will be a continuation
of the way we are living now. In other words, believers should start living as
citizens of heaven now while we are living as aliens in the world.

ACTION:
Questions to consider:
    – What does my ‘citizenship card’ say about me?
    – Am I a citizen of the world and following its philosophies and principles,
       or have I exchanged them for what is expected of heavenly citizens?

It’s a choice we must make because we can have only one and not both.
    “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate
      the one and love the other, or you will be devoted
      to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve
      both God and money.”
      (Matthew 6:24)

If we still feel comfortable living within the boundaries of worldly ideologies,
then our citizenship has not changed, has it? We live ‘in the world’, but that
doesn’t mean we have to live a life ‘of the world’. We can start living now
with the characteristics we will have in heaven. The difference between
being ‘heavenly’ and being ‘worldly’ is – when our citizenship has been
changed, we have a new responsibility for how we live ‘in the world’.
    “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill
      cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and
      put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand,
      and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same
      way, let your light shine before others, that they may
      see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
      (Matthew 5:14-16)

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for Your promise of citizenship in
heaven for all 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 whatever trials I face, I can find comfort in Your
promise of my heavenly home and my destiny to be with You.”

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