“For our citizenship is in heaven…”
When we moved to
Oklahoma back in 2006 so that I could finally attend Bible School, I had my
mind set that I was going to pour my heart into my studies, learn everything I
could through the experience at the college and then pack up the family and
move into the next phase of God’s call for my life. What I didn’t expect was all the other life’s
lessons that I received while living for three years over 1800 miles away from
my hometown. One of those lessons was
interacting with the other people who came to Tulsa from all over the world.
The Tulsa Oklahoma
area is home to many internationally known Christian schools including Oral
Roberts University, Victory Bible Institute as well as the Rhema Bible Training
College USA campus where I attended. It
is also home to many major secular universities and a large aeronautics school. As I mentioned, these schools are a draw to
individuals from locations across the globe.
During my stay there I met folks from almost all the states in the union
and from countries such as Canada, South Africa, England, Germany and various
countries in South America.
I didn’t realize it
until I had been there for awhile, but after 53 years of living on the west
coast, I had totally developed a northern California viewpoint on life. It would always amaze me when people who had
never been there would bash California! Often
times I found myself being offended and in a defensive position whenever the
conversation turned to “where are you
from?” These folks were ignorantly
trashing my home state, which to me was the best place in the whole world to
live in! Many of these same individuals
had never been to California and were basing their opinions on things they heard,
read about or saw on TV. Some even
viewed the Golden State as portrayed through Hollywood movies!
After a while
though, I began to see that I was sort of doing the same thing concerning the
city, state or country that they were from.
They, like me, were talking from a heart that loved their home locales. I personally am not a snow person and would
stand awe struck as some new friends from Minnesota would light up from ear to
ear as they talked about the freezing weather, snow, and the accompanying winter
activities. Others from desert areas
like Arizona would tell of joyful memories about the heat and dry conditions
that they lived in back home. I remember
attentively listening to a fellow student born and raised in South Africa happily
telling stories about his normal lifestyle that was so different to mine. It would seem that each of us tend to be a
product of where we are from.
The above scripture
from Philippians 3:20 makes a bold statement concerning the Christian’s hometown
in heaven. When we are born again, we
become citizens of a new kingdom. 2
Corinthians 5:17 says “Therefore if any
man (or woman) be in Christ, he (or she) is a new creature: old things are
passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (KJV) That includes every
part of our past including our allegiance to our former earthly home. As citizens of heaven, we are now under its jurisdiction,
its history and its future! The King
James Version uses the word “conversation”
in place of “citizenship” in
Philippians 3:20. Albert Barnes’ Notes
on the Bible states that “The word conversation
we now apply almost entirely to oral discussion. It formally however, meant conduct in
general.”
With that in mind,
we should be living our lives here on this earth like ambassadors stationed in
a foreign land. We may be living here,
but our allegiance, our protection, our conduct and our backing is to our home
country. Ambassadors living in other lands
are more dependent on the US Marines assigned to protect our embassies than
they are on the local police departments.
Likewise we are to be more dependent on the ministering spirits from the
heavenly realm (Hebrews 1:14) and the dictates of God’s kingdom than we are
from the assistance of our local or federal government. Think of it this way… Heaven’s resources,
power and rule are far superior and without limitation. Can we say the same thing about those of the
physical country in which we now reside?
That puts a whole
new slant on the way we should face and live each day doesn’t it? Keep that thought in mind today. Keep studying and learning about the rights
and privileges that are yours in your new constitution as found within the
pages of your Bible, and live as citizens of heaven! Have a great day. Stay in tune to His Word and keep asking
yourself… What am I expecting (as a
citizen of heaven) today?
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