“But our citizenship is in heaven.”

Philippians 3:20-21

“But our citizenship is in heaven.” It is good to be reminded of this fact isn’t it? The 24 hour news cycle, social media, busy lives … often cause us to forget this essential truth. We can become totally absorbed by the things of “this world” and be overwhelmed by all that we are exposed to.

Through the scriptures God calls us to live differently. In 1 Peter 1:17 Peter refers to us as “strangers here” and in 1 Peter 2:11 he identifies us as “strangers and aliens in the world”. This supports Paul’s statement in today’s reading regarding our citizenship.

So how do we live as citizens of heaven? Certainly worship, prayer, the sacraments, and fellowship are essential elements of living out our faith. But our minds and God’s word also play a significant role. In Philippians 3:19 the last sentence describes those who are opposed to the faith. Paul states, “Their mind is on earthly things.”

Contrast this with Romans 12:2 where Paul challenges believers to be “transformed by the renewing of your mind”, or Jesus’ words in Mark 12:30, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength”. What do we allow into our mind? What do we think about? What do we talk about? Reading, hearing, studying, and memorizing God’s word are key practices that can help us live as citizens of heaven. Of course, we cannot do this on our own, but only through the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Let’s challenge each other as brothers and sisters to live out our faith by demonstrating our true citizenship. What a witness for Jesus we could become if we would follow this practice in today’s culture. As encouragement we only need to refer to today’s reading where Paul states that “we eagerly await a Savior from there (heaven), the Lord Jesus Christ…”.  Let’s celebrate our true citizenship in the days and weeks ahead.