Everything's Possible - Day 27

Philippians 3:20 But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. 21 He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.

Roman citizenship was a highly prized commodity in the ancient world. With it came many rights that other citizenships did not abide. A right to a trial in Rome, amongst other things, became one of the benefits that Roman citizens were unable to access. 

But Paul is promoting a citizenship that is much greater than the one offered by Rome or any other municipality. He encourages believers to embrace a far better identity as citizens of God’s kingdom. Most residents of Philippi probably lacked Roman citizenship. For any believers who did hold Roman citizenship, Paul’s statement here presents a challenge to look beyond their earthly status and show the highest allegiance to Christ. 

We are asked the same thing today. Where does your allegiance lie? Is it with the earthly citizenship that you carry? Or is it with the kingdom of God? And can you have dual citizenship? 

A few months ago, there was a tragic knife attack in Sydney, Australia. It was a British citizen who stopped the knife-wielding attacker, and he was granted Australian citizenship on the spot. Citizenship is something that is granted as a reward, as a thank you, and as a privilege. We are granted access to the kingdom and, with it, all of the rights as a child of God. This is the kind of citizenship that allows us to transcend where we were born or what we have sworn allegiance to in this world and allows us to live in a way where our love knows no boundaries or borders. 

I would guess that the question before you today is where do you want your citizenship to stand. It might be easy to say that we are simply citizens of the country that we live in, but our dual citizenship is in heaven. I am not sure you can have it both ways. Allegiance is a funny thing; it is hard to divide. 

Does this mean that if you are a citizen of heaven, you no longer participate in or keep the laws of the land where you find yourself? Of course not, what kind of witness would that be? While we still participate, we know that our ultimate allegiance is to what God asks of us, and we make decisions based on that fact as a priority in our decision-making and in our lives.  

1. Where is your citizenship? 
2. What does it mean to you to be a citizen of heaven? 
3. How does that play out every day in your life?