We are all citizens of heaven:
"We are citizens of heaven,
where the Lord Jesus Christ lives" (Philippians 3:20).
I have read this verse a number of
times, but it was only recently that I truly realized the
significance of it. We are citizens of heaven, which means that
legally we are the rightful heirs. Think about the difference here
on earth between citizens and foreigners in a country. Foreigners
need to apply for visa's, and in order to obtain one, they need to
be good enough or rich enough to be successful. And even if they
obtain a visa, they don't have all the privileges in the country
like the citizens have. For example, they can't vote, they can only
live and work in certain areas, etc. Then after their visa expires,
they need to leave the country or apply for a new one. Citizens, on
the other hand, get everything as their birthright. They don't need
to prove themselves or buy their way in; they are automatically
part of it all. They never have to leave their country, plus they
have all the rights and privileges that their government
offers.
Here, God declares that we are
citizens of heaven. We are not foreigners who have to be good
enough or rich enough or have to prove ourselves to enter, but we
are citizens that can share in all the glorious benefits heaven has
to offer. It is our birthright, never to be taken away. We can have
a sense of belonging. Even if we feel on this earth as if we don't
belong anywhere, we can know that we do belong in the New
Jerusalem, the city where we all will live one day. We don't need
to prove ourselves, and we don't need to go through an intense
process to obtain a visa. No, we belong automatically. The new
person within us was specifically created for the New Jerusalem,
and that is our home. We are part and parcel of what is to
come.
We are also priests, God's holy
nation, and His very own possession:
We are not just anybody roaming
this earth; we have status.
"But you are not like that, for
you are a chosen people. You are a kingdom of priests, God's holy
nation, His very own possession. This is so you can show others the
goodness of God, for He called you out of the darkness into His
wonderful light" (1 Peter 2:9).
"He has made us His kingdom and
His priests who serve before God His Father. Give to Him
everlasting glory!" (Revelation 1:6).
You see, we are royalty, priests,
ready to serve and glorify our God. We are the pinnacle of His
creation. We need to stand tall and walk around this earth as
royalty and the priests that we are, not with pride but with
compassion for the lost people aimlessly roaming this earth. We
need to be royalty that cares, royalty that gives, royalty that
never gets angry over trivial matters, royalty that serves and
royalty that represents the King in all aspects. We need to show a
lost world what God's kingdom is all about. We need to attract them
to a world that is much better than the present one. We need to
give them a glimpse of His love and His affection. We cannot walk
around defeated and demoralized because then we are not
representing the King. We are like a preview of coming attractions,
and we need to show the best to this lost world. We are like
representatives selling products, portraying the best of the best
to those around us. We need to walk tall as royalty. We need to
bring God's smile to people's faces.
(Excerpt from The Second
Creation - Ilze Henderson)