Citizenship

There are regular scare stories in the newspapers about the numbers of people trying to get into Britain, many of them trying to get in illegally. Many no doubt have paid a lot of money, many have risked their lives as they make this journey, but they all have the hope of a better life. For many the ultimate goal is a British passport and being able to live as a British citizen, with all its benefits - but also its responsibilities.

In Philippians 1:27 Christians are described as citizens of heaven. The British government will often allow a person to hold dual nationality. So when in Britain they use their British passport and live as a British citizen. But on arriving in (let's say) the States they put their British passport to one side, and get out their American passport and live as an American citizen.

But when it comes to God there is no dual citizenship. To become a citizen of heaven means giving up your 'world' passport. I do not have the option of hiding my heavenly passport away and taking out another passport just because it might be more convenient or easier. I cannot live one kind of life at work and another kind of life at church or at home. Once a citizen of heaven we are called to live like that all of the time - no matter what happens. There are incredible benefits to being a citizen of heaven, but there are also some challenging responsibilities. And no one is promising that it will be easy.

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