Citizenship

"For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. 4:1 Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved."
Philippians 3:20-4:1

There is a lot of talk about citizenship now, most of it related to the immigration issues in this country. And while I am a citizen of the United States of America, and do not take that lightly, more importantly, I am also a citizen of another place: heaven. While the responsibilities and privileges of being a U.S. citizen are important to me, the eternal consequences, as well as the responsibilities and privileges of being a citizen of heaven are so much more important to the believer. Jesus was a citizen of the state of Israel, as was Paul, And yet, they didn't get caught up in all of the surrounding "particulars" of being a citizen of this world, because our heavenly citizenship takes precedent. The responsibilities and privileges surrounding being a citizen of heaven, are the ones outlined in the Word of God. Jesus teaches on them, Paul teaches on them, and they are exemplified in the early church in the book of Acts. Love, unity, the things of the kingdom.

Therefore, Paul goes on to tell us, that in the context of having a heavenly citizenship, that our lowly body of flesh and bones that we now carry around with us will not due in heaven. We will be "conformed" to His glorious body. Because we are justified and sanctified, we will be glorified. We will be given a new body for our new home. And it is through the working, the same energy, if you will, the same operation, the same effectual working by which He subdues all things unto Himself. Now that is power. And that is another thing. As believers, we have so much power available to us, through the Holy Spirit. Did you know that the power that raised Jesus from the dead, resides in us, through the Holy Spirit? He does. We will talk about that another day. But know this: as a believer in Jesus Christ, we can rest in Him, and know that He is our rest, He is our strength, and He is our sustenance. I guess what I am saying to all of you, my beloved, is what Paul is saying to the church at Philippi: stand fast in the Lord. Don't lose heart by what the devil throws in your path, or before your eyes. Just stand fast in Him.

The church at Philippi was undergoing false teachers that had come in behind Paul, and was telling them that Jesus was good, but they needed Jesus AND the law. In our own lives, we have so many things, and so many schedule demands pulling at us from all directions and competing for our time. Beloved, don't let all of that get in the way of our standing strong in the Lord. It is easy to do, to get our focus out of whack, and the devil knows it. So he throws all kinds of stuff in front of you to trip you up and to get you out of focused. But as the brand of apparel tells us, we need to be cross-eyed. Look to the cross. Lay your life down, there at the cross. Leave your burdens there at the cross. Bring all your hurts of heart there, to the cross. Rest in Him, be strong in Him, stand in Him. Relax in Him. He is our Savior and our Lord. Amen.