Philippians 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ…
I have read this passage many times in the past, but it never fails to make me stop and say, Wow. Such an amazing concept… I have citizenship in heaven. I may not be there yet, but it is my home, my future. And all of us who become children of God have citizenship in heaven awaiting us. Isn’t that just an amazing thought?
When you seek to become a citizen in a nation that is not your native home there are things you must do, things you have to complete to demonstrate you understand the commitment you are making and the role you will have in that new place. It isn’t as easy as saying, “I want to be a citizen of this place.” It takes action on your part to demonstrate that you meet requirements and expectations.
Technically you can say that you must become something new, something more than you are currently. In many countries you have to demonstrate knowledge of their government, history, and legal systems. In others you need to show that you can speak the language and communicate with other citizens effectively. You can’t just apply to be a citizen and not make changes to adapt to their way of life.
But in heaven we are not required to complete a registration process or application. We are not told we must learn the heavenly language in order to communicate. We are not told we have to demonstrate knowledge of the history of heaven or how it works currently.
We are made citizens because Jesus died for us and His blood has opened the doors for us to enter the home He has gone and prepared for us. We are made new each day, changing as we walk with Him and learn His will for our lives. We are transformed through our faith, through our obedience to His call in our lives. We are doing nothing but turning to Him, trusting Him, following Him, learning more about Him and His will, glorifying Him in our words and deeds… because we are saved by grace and nothing we have done on our own. We have citizenship in heaven because He wants us with Him, because He loves us so much He died to pay the price needed to bring us back into fellowship with God once more.
Never forget where you hold citizenship. We might be proud of who we are as citizens of the area in which we live. But as believers, as followers of Christ, we have another citizenship, one that is far more important and impressive than the one we claim each day. We have citizenship in heaven and that is something we should be celebrating each and every day.
Prayer: Lord, I don’t deserve the heavenly citizenship You have given me, but I thank You for it. I thank You for going before me and preparing a place that I may dwell there, too. Amen
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