Heavenly Citizens

I am constantly amazed with different cultures, different languages and different people around the world. As I have opportunity to meet and talk with people from different countries, I love to hear their accents, and have them tell me about their cultures. It reminds me that God has a huge imagination, that He has created us with different personalities, different likes, different skin colors and different ways of thinking and viewing the things He has given us. What a beautiful world He has given us, to richly enjoy.

But then I think of that other place…my Heavenly abode…the place where I will spend eternity. The writer of the book of Hebrews described that same city as the one that Abraham also longed to see. He wrote, “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” (Hebrews 11:8-10)  

The closer I grow to the Lord, and the more time I spend in His presence, the more homesick I become for that city, for even though my body is here for a season, I know that my soul and my spirit belong there. One day, I will walk on streets of gold, I will see all those precious loved ones who have gone on before me. And most importantly, I will see Jesus. Oh, how I long to see Jesus!

But for now, I am a traveler and a foreigner in this world. When I became a citizen of Heaven, God made me His Ambassador, His Representative to the citizens of this world. And so I must constantly strive to make sure that I am representing my King and His Kingdom well. I must not allow myself to get too tangled up with the things that belong to this world, because they are temporary, and soon they will be gone. And the thing I need to consider the most is that the citizens of this world are watching me…they want to know about that Kingdom to which I belong, and they want to know about my King. If I don’t represent Him well, they will think it’s an evil kingdom and that He’s a bad king. God forbid I should allow the citizens of this world to see evil or sin in my life, because then they will think the same of that place where I belong, and they will think that just anybody can go there. But that is not true… for those who belong to my Kingdom are those who have been convicted and sentenced for their sin and found guilty…the penalty handed down was death. But then, God sent a Lamb, an innocent Lamb in Whom there was no guilt…and He sacrificed this precious Lamb as payment for my sins. That Lamb was His own dear Son, whom I love and honor and praise, and my whole desire is to bring glory to Him. For this Son, the One Who was my sacrifice…He is also my King. How could I bring shame to His Name when He paid such a dear price for me?

So I need to pray everyday and ask my King to strengthen me for the tasks He has set before me. I must stay close to Him so that I will know the things that are in His heart. And I must be careful of the things I say, the things I do…even the motives of my heart…because my King knows, and it is Him that my heart longs to please. He is my life, my love…my everything!

And what about you? Have you met my King? Have you received the payment for your sin that He offers so freely? And if you are a citizen of His Kingdom, how are you representing Him? Are you striving every day to walk blameless with Him, worthy to be His Ambassador on this earth? The things of this world are fading away and we need not set our affections on them, for only the things of the Kingdom of God will last. Lets keep our eyes on our Heavenly home, while at the same time being faithful Representatives of our King while we are in this world. It won’t be long before it will all be gone, and we will see Jesus, our King, face to face…forever!