CITIZENS OF HEAVEN

"For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself." (Philippians 3:20-21, NASB)

Devotion 7 of 24

SOME OF HEAVEN'S CITIZENS

The Scriptures provide a record of some of heaven's citizens--people whose faith brought them into harmony with the God of heaven. It will be of benefit to consider what is said of such people. Some of them lived before Christ. While upon the earth, they did not enjoy the benefits of heavenly affiliation like those in the New Covenant. However, their faith provided a precursor of heavenly life, and their anticipation of the coming Christ made them citizens of heaven.

Our father Abraham

We are aligned with father Abraham, assuming the same posture as he. "For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God" (Heb 11:10). We have "tasted of the powers of the world to come" (Heb 6:5), and thus cannot feel at home in this world any longer. If faith constrained Abraham, "the friend of God," to look for an eternal city, what will be the focus of those that have become "the sons of God?" Like Abraham, they are looking for the city to which they really belong.

Those who have Died in the faith

Those who have believed that God is, and that He is a Rewarder of those who diligently seek Him, were constrained to not only live by faith, but also to die in faith. Their persuasion of the promises of God constrained them to live and die in that conviction, acknowledging they were misfits in this world. As it is written, "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country" (Heb 11:13-14). Faith still has this impact upon heavenly citizens. They clearly seek a better country--one where they fit in and are at home.

The Patriarch David

We join the patriarch David in his expression of dominating desire. "One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek Him in his temple" (Psa 27:4, NIV). If this was the desire of the godly during the spiritually primitive times of the Old Covenant, what will be the desire of those that have been "joined to the Lord?" (1 Cor 6:17).

Our Brother, Paul

We fellowship with the Apostle Paul in an expression of saving faith, "For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better" (Phil 1:23). Paul's consent to remain in the world was not because of personal preference! His private desire was to leave the world and be with Christ. This, he affirmed, was not merely better, but "far better." His heavenly citizenship caused him to live according to the heavenly agenda. He did not stay in the world because he loved the world, or was afraid to leave it. He was not enamored of the beauty of nature, the pleasure of a family, or the desire for a career. He rather acknowledged, "Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you" (Phil 1:24, NKJV). Mind you, it was not more needful for Paul, but for those to whom he ministered!

Those who have Suffered the Plundering of the Goods

Early believers in Christ were exhorted to remember when they first were brought into God's marvelous light. Keenly aware of their heavenly citizenship, they accepted the plundering of their goods, persuaded of what they possessed in the homeland. "But recall the former days in which, after you were illuminated, you endured a great struggle with sufferings: partly while you were made a spectacle both by reproaches and tribulations, and partly while you became companions of those who were so treated; for you had compassion on me in my chains, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven" (Heb 10:32-34, NKJV).

How blessed it is to hold citizenship in an eternal realm, where the sun never sets, and the inhabitants go no more out. No goods are confiscated there! No occupant of that fair realm is subject to suffering, reproach, or tribulation. That is the "country" to which we are called, and it is a better one than any found upon the earth.

PRAYER POINT: Father, I thank You through Jesus for a place to belong, where I can feel at home, and have no fear of contradiction. I ask that you show me as much of its beauty as I am able to bear.

-- Tomorrow: PONDER OUR SITUATION --