THE VERSE
But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ
~Philippians 3:20
THE THOUGHT
This world is not our home. You’ve heard that before, but what does it actually mean? It means, on the one hand, that we should never get too comfortable here, because we are only passing through. Don’t conform to the pattern of this world, because we are not of this world. So don’t be worried if people don’t understand you or can’t relate to you because of your walk with God- you are a foreigner and an alien here. You are an ambassador of Christ, a citizen of heaven, stationed here for a time to proclaim the love of Christ to all who will listen. Let your entire life, therefore, be lived with a single-minded purpose: pursuing God who is in heaven in a way that will encourage others to take up that same pursuit.
And on the other hand, it means that while we aren’t home yet, we are on our way there. Let that thought sink in for a while- all of our pain and sorrow and tiredness and sin is but a fleeting vapor compared to the immensity of eternity that we will spend in the presence of God. Heaven is where Jesus is, and soon we will be with Him forever!
THE PRAYER
Father, Don’t let me get comfortable here, but instead put a deep longing for You in my heart. I want to see You face to face, and I yearn for the day when my strivings will cease and I will enter Your rest, home at last.
EXTENDED READING
Philippians 3:12-21
1 Peter 2:9-12
Revelation 21:1-7
THE QUOTE
“Our best works are shot through with sin and contain something for which we need to be forgiven.” ~J.I. Packer