Not a Citizen of This World

Apr 16, 2017Written Devotionals

“Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul,”    1 Peter 2:11   NKJV

Where is your citizenship?  Yes, we do live in this world while we are in these bodies of flesh, but we are not citizens of this world.  This is something that is vital to remember but so easy for us to forget as we live in the fallen world.  We have to be watchful because it is far too easy for us to live like we are citizens here in this world.  But all of our promises and power are not from this world, but rather from heaven.  So, ask yourself right now, where am I living?  Am I living like a citizen of this world or like a citizen of the victorious kingdom of God?

When we become overly concerned or anxious about the things of this life, when we become overly focused or, as I can often do, become obsessed with the things we see and experience in this world we have forgotten where our citizenship is.  Here is another way we can know if we are living like citizens of the world instead of citizens of heaven. What is on our calendar for the day and for the week?  If we are living each day by the demands of this life and see the things of this life as our priority then our calendar is telling us that we are living using the wrong passport, falsely believing that we are citizens of this world and not of heaven.  For if we are living on our heavenly passport then our priorities are different.  As citizens of heaven we give our minds, hearts and bodies to His plans for us daily.  I am not run by my calendar but rather I am running my day according to His plans for me.  I am looking to Him daily and learning to listen to His voice as He leads me into His plans for me and my life.

That sounds good, right?  But it also sounds a little too spiritually minded to our ears which have become accustomed to hearing the world instead of hearing Him.  He does have specific plans for you and you alone each day.  They are plans that will accomplish His will, glorify His name and bring joy, peace and fulfillment to you, a contentment that cannot be found in the world.  Here is a difficult question to ask yourself, “Are you ready?  Do you even know what His plans are for you, what He has on your calendar for the day?”  Unfortunately most of us will have answer “no” to that question. If the answer to that question is no then I am probably living my life more like a citizen of this world as opposed to being a citizen of heaven.

The reality is that we will not know everything He has on our daily calendar, but if we are asking and listening we will learn to hear and we will be where He needs us to be and open to obey Him when we get there.

If you are lacking contentment with life and feeling totally unfulfilled with this life, then it is a good indicator you have pulled out the wrong passport today.  You need to be a citizen not of this world but a citizen of heaven. It is with that citizenship that your find all of your answers, direction, power and victories.  Pull out the right passport today.

J Todd Hostetler

www.cityonahillTC.org

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