Thought of the Day !!

But we are citizens of Heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives.  And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.  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.

                                                        Philippians 3:20-21 (NLT)

Yesterday I shared from verses 18 and 19 about how Paul was saddened by the so called "believers" in Philippi who were living their lives contrary to the Gospel.  You might say that their citizenship remained in this world.  Today let us talk about the alternative to living as citizens of this world.

Paul teaches us that as believers we are citizens of another place.  We are citizens of Heaven where our Lord and Savior now resides.  In other words, His home is offered to us as our own home.  So if this is true, let us live like it.

Our citizenship in Heaven means that Jesus is not only Savior, as many seem to think.  He is not just a ticket to Heaven.  Paul calls him "the Lord Jesus Christ".  He not only saves us, but he is the one to whom we give our lives to.  When we claim Jesus as Lord we commit to Him, to honor Him, to love Him, to obey Him.

But Jesus is not like any other Lord.  He is not like any king or queen or president or dictator.  Obedience to Him is not something He seeks so that He can become more or better.  Obedience to Him means living out our lives in a way that is better for others, and ultimately better for us.  In our obedience we don't find burdensome laws, but things that make our lives better.  And when we obey and love Jesus then our citizenship is found in Heaven.

In the love of Christ,

greg