As I was in a much needed time in the Word this morning, the Lord led me to a really neat concept that I won't fully understand until I see His face. I love that, though. I love those beautiful reminders that I am not meant to know everything. I am not meant to understand everything.
Philippians 2:27 says "Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News"
The first part of this verse is what really struck me this morning. We are called to live as citizens of heaven. I started thinking through what that means. So I am supposed to live like a citizen of somewhere I have never been before. Somewhere I've never seen or lived before. It would be like telling me to live as a citizen of Antarctica. I've never been there, lived there, or met anyone from there, but I am supposed to live as a member of that continent. Say whaattt?? How is that supposed to happen?
Then God started to reveal to me what it means to live as a citizen of heaven. Most importantly, I have His Holy Spirit living inside of me. The Holy Spirit DEFINITELY knows what is to be a citizen of heaven! Instead of seeking to listen to my own thoughts and desires, the Holy Spirit will always guide me on living like a citizen of Heaven. I have His Word to teach me and grow me of what it means to live as a citizen of heaven. He has not left us to this mission to wander around without guidance. He has given us the ultimate guidance and we are called to live up to the standard of a citizen of heaven.
I started thinking about how often I fall short of that. I fall short of being a citizen of heaven in every moment, of every single day. I absolutley can not do it on my own. Only the Good New of Christ allows me to be a citizen of Heaven. Ally Blackwell wants to be a citizen of this dying world, but only Christ in me allows me to live for so much more. To live as a citizen of Heaven. I can't take the right citizenship classes or do enough "citizen like" things to become more of a citizen. I am able to live as a citizen of Heaven because of Christ alone.
So as I head on the World Race (I'm leaving in less than 2 months! CRAZY!) my citizenship will never change. I will be living as a citizen of Heaven. I may not have the life style I'm used to as an American citizen, but I am not called to live as an American citizen. I am called to live as a citizen of Heaven. We all are. I pray that God teaches us and shows us in each moment, what that means during our short time on Earth.
