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.