Finding Ourselves...In a Lost World
“Our citizenship is in
heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ”
Philippians 3:20 (NASB)
Everyone is a citizen of some country. Maybe
it’s Jamaica, England, Canada, or the United States of America, but it is
somewhere. And everyone has an identity. Now let’s think for a moment. If I
were to ask you what most described yourself, what you were most passionate
about, or what you were most proud of, what would come to mind? Most likely,
you would think… “Well… I’m Samantha or I’m Jeff and I come from Argentina and…
wait! What did you just say? You listed your citizenship as one of your descriptive
assets. Why? Because, where you are from shapes your worldview and your
worldview shapes who you are.
What if, your
entire worldview was based upon one person? And you were so wrapped up in this
person, that every thought, every word, every action was based on the
ideologies of one being? What if you became so enthused by this person that you
handed your individuality and freedom of choice entirely into their hands? This
would seem extreme, almost fanatical and most likely, you wouldn’t consider it
a possibility.
But, surprisingly,
the Bible talks of just that. It’s called being a Christian; A follower of
Jesus.
“For you are clearly a letter of Christ, the
fruit of our work, recorded not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living
God; not in stone, but in hearts of flesh. And this is the certain faith which
we have in God through Christ: Not as if we were able by ourselves to do
anything for which we might take credit; but our power comes from God; Who has
made us able to be servants of a new agreement; not of a letter, but of the
Spirit: for the letter gives death, but the Spirit gives life.” (2 Corinthians
3:3-6)
This in itself
explains the essence of a Christian’s walk. We are to be totally concentrated
on Christ and doing His work. We are a team, God has called us to work for Him
and spread the good news of His soon return and His salvation plan. And God,
will give us the resources and strength needed for such a task. We are to focus
all our energies on Christ and reaching the people of this age.
Here is where
Philippians 3:20 comes into play: We are citizens of heaven, people of a land
of paradise- on earth. We should be so excited about our home and so eager to
go there, that all else pales in comparison.
It is easy to get
caught up in the mundane details of life, and defiantly, it is easy to get
distracted by the “perks” of the world. I know for myself, I’ll get really
excited about some hobby or cause- say my favourite author or the dog that’s is
going to be put down next week, or even my personal struggles. And I can talk
for hours. And I’m sure it’s the same for you.
So what if we
applied the same enthusiasm to telling everyone where we are from? Or more
like, where we are going? I think that what this text really is, is a reminder,
if not a plea that we are not of this world and thus we should be as
ambassadors for our home country. Interesting isn’t it? This is not to say that
we should discard our earthly countries, but it is a reminder of what really
matters. That we should not put the things of this world as our priorities.
And, most importantly, we need to tell others of a great land called heaven and
the God who died for them and eagerly awaits their acceptance of His love.
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