WHAT DO YOU ANTICIPATE THE MOST?

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

MEDITATION:
Have you ever been to a foreign country?
If you have, and you didn’t know the native language,
then you probably felt out of place.
Seeing the sights was probably enjoyable, but you spoke a different language
than the folks there, so you couldn’t really interact with them.

That’s the same feeling we should have whenever we give our lives to the Lord.
At that moment, we suddenly become aliens of the earthly world
because our citizenship is in another place (actually another world).
We have developed a different language than those who are ‘of this world’.
There are still some common areas where we interact with others,
but instead of talking about the pleasures of sin,
we would rather talk about the joy of belonging to the Lord.

Even though we are foreigners, we have concerns about those
who are unsaved, and want them to become citizens of our world.
Consequently we cannot isolate ourselves from others, however,
we do intentionally separate ourselves from certain dialogues
and activities that are in opposition to our new citizenship.

As followers of Christ, we also have a new focus.
Living our lives on earth can expose us to a lot of problems,
disappointments, heartaches and such, but through them all, we can
look forward with anticipation to the return of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Until He returns, we are under orders from the King of kings to
proclaim His message through our lifestyle, attitudes, habits, and words.

ACTION:
Where is your citizenship?
Do you feel like a foreigner in this world, or do you find that the ways of
the world have a greater influence on you than the ways of the Lord?
Are you concerned about those who do not have a relationship with the Lord?

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for Your promise of the return of Jesus.
When things of this world start to weigh me down, remind me of Your
promise and rekindle my anticipation of His return. You know the
struggles that I have and I depend on You to help me through them. I
know that You can encourage me and lift my spirits when I have problems.
As I live in the hope of Your return, give me the wisdom and love to reach
those around me.”