Joyful Living Devotional - Day 13
Day 13 - Represent
Philippians 1:27-28(NLT) Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News.
Confident of remaining alive to continue the fruitful work of Christ, Paul admonishes the Philippians to “above all, live as citizens of heaven.” Paul is writing from the very seat of power of the Roman Empire, the city of Rome. Romans were very proud of their citizenship. If they were hashtagging, they would say: #RomanCitizen #betterthananyoneelse. Paul is writing to the church in Philippi. Philippi was a prominent city in Macedonia and a privileged Roman colony, often called "Little Rome." There was also a large population of retired Roman military veterans, which fostered a strong patriotic culture and deep loyalty to Caesar. So, needless to say, they were very proud of their Roman citizenship.
Paul, well aware of this fact, uses it to encourage the Philippian church to recognize that their allegiance has shifted. From Rome to Heaven, from Caesar to Christ. He wants them to know that their conduct must reflect the citizenship they represent. Just as these Roman colonies were little Romes, where people spoke Latin, wore Roman clothing, and were governed by Roman law, they now represent heaven, and their conduct must reflect that. Paul is not preaching at them from a distance; to put more pressure on them, he lives out his heavenly citizenship as an example.
In Acts 16, we read something very interesting. After Paul and Silas experienced the Lord’s version of the jailhouse rock and ministered to the jailer and his whole family, the officials sent their officers to the jailer to let him know to release Paul and Silas.
Acts 16:35-40(NLT) The next morning the city officials sent the police to tell the jailer, “Let those men go!” 36 So the jailer told Paul, “The city officials have said you and Silas are free to leave. Go in peace.” 37 But Paul replied, “They have publicly beaten us without a trial and put us in prison—and we are Roman citizens. So now they want us to leave secretly? Certainly not! Let them come themselves to release us!” 38 When the police reported this, the city officials were alarmed to learn that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens. 39 So they came to the jail and apologized to them. Then they brought them out and begged them to leave the city. 40 When Paul and Silas left the prison, they returned to the home of Lydia. There they met with the believers and encouraged them once more. Then they left town.
Okay, Paul, you are free to go! Paul says, wait a minute. We are Roman citizens, and you did not give us our due process as citizens of Rome. In fact, they violated Roman law, therefore the cause of the alarm. So, they came begging Paul and Silas to leave the city and apologized to them. The question that is beckoning: why did Paul and Silas not claim their citizenship before the beating and before their imprisonment? They could have avoided a lot of pain. Could it be that, due to the birth of this new church, they knew persecution would come upon the believers in Philippi, and that they wanted to demonstrate by their actions that God is faithful and that their citizenship in heaven is far greater than any other?
Which citizenship do you most likely represent in your daily conduct? Your natural one or your supernatural one? What nation are you a citizen of? When you ask most people that question, their first response is American, Australian, British, Colombian, Mexican, Filipino, Japanese, or Indian. You get the point. Here’s a thought. According to Paul, if you are a Christ follower, your first response should be your spiritual citizenship, not your natural one. We have been born again into God’s family, and our citizenship is not natural but supernatural.
Paul says that unless you grasp this truth, you will not be able to live out your Christ identity. Our conduct is directly related to our understanding and acknowledgment of which Kingdom we are from. As citizens of heaven, we represent our King (Jesus) and reflect the values and ways of God’s Kingdom. That gives us the lifestyle that fits the Good News we proclaim. Paul then gives us a brief picture of what that looks like, and it is truly heavenly…
Standing together means there are no divisions among us. One spirit, we are connected through the supernatural power the Holy Spirit gives us. One purpose, we are not confused or deluded about the purpose of our lives. We know who we are, we know Whose we are, and we know why we are here. We do not suffer from a spiritual identity crisis; we are born again from above to represent our King! Fighting together, we don’t fight one another; we contend for the faith, and with faith we overcome. There is not a single mention of me, my, or I. Why? Because “I” is too small a number to represent God’s kingdom. Heaven is not divided; heaven is united and speaks with one voice.
My wife, Miranda, and I raised four boys (by God’s grace). As the boys grew older and left the house to visit a friend or do some activity, she would always say to them: “Son, make sure you represent.” She did not mean represent us; she meant, as a follower of Jesus, to represent Christ. That is what Paul told the Philippians and what the Holy Spirit is telling us: “Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ.” Hey Philippians, make sure you represent. Hey Christ follower, make sure you represent!
Are you living as a citizen of heaven? How close are you to your fellow citizens? Remind yourself daily what representing heaven looks like and what your role is in it.
Prayer:
Philippians 1:27-28(NLT) Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News.
Confident of remaining alive to continue the fruitful work of Christ, Paul admonishes the Philippians to “above all, live as citizens of heaven.” Paul is writing from the very seat of power of the Roman Empire, the city of Rome. Romans were very proud of their citizenship. If they were hashtagging, they would say: #RomanCitizen #betterthananyoneelse. Paul is writing to the church in Philippi. Philippi was a prominent city in Macedonia and a privileged Roman colony, often called "Little Rome." There was also a large population of retired Roman military veterans, which fostered a strong patriotic culture and deep loyalty to Caesar. So, needless to say, they were very proud of their Roman citizenship.
Paul, well aware of this fact, uses it to encourage the Philippian church to recognize that their allegiance has shifted. From Rome to Heaven, from Caesar to Christ. He wants them to know that their conduct must reflect the citizenship they represent. Just as these Roman colonies were little Romes, where people spoke Latin, wore Roman clothing, and were governed by Roman law, they now represent heaven, and their conduct must reflect that. Paul is not preaching at them from a distance; to put more pressure on them, he lives out his heavenly citizenship as an example.
In Acts 16, we read something very interesting. After Paul and Silas experienced the Lord’s version of the jailhouse rock and ministered to the jailer and his whole family, the officials sent their officers to the jailer to let him know to release Paul and Silas.
Acts 16:35-40(NLT) The next morning the city officials sent the police to tell the jailer, “Let those men go!” 36 So the jailer told Paul, “The city officials have said you and Silas are free to leave. Go in peace.” 37 But Paul replied, “They have publicly beaten us without a trial and put us in prison—and we are Roman citizens. So now they want us to leave secretly? Certainly not! Let them come themselves to release us!” 38 When the police reported this, the city officials were alarmed to learn that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens. 39 So they came to the jail and apologized to them. Then they brought them out and begged them to leave the city. 40 When Paul and Silas left the prison, they returned to the home of Lydia. There they met with the believers and encouraged them once more. Then they left town.
Okay, Paul, you are free to go! Paul says, wait a minute. We are Roman citizens, and you did not give us our due process as citizens of Rome. In fact, they violated Roman law, therefore the cause of the alarm. So, they came begging Paul and Silas to leave the city and apologized to them. The question that is beckoning: why did Paul and Silas not claim their citizenship before the beating and before their imprisonment? They could have avoided a lot of pain. Could it be that, due to the birth of this new church, they knew persecution would come upon the believers in Philippi, and that they wanted to demonstrate by their actions that God is faithful and that their citizenship in heaven is far greater than any other?
Which citizenship do you most likely represent in your daily conduct? Your natural one or your supernatural one? What nation are you a citizen of? When you ask most people that question, their first response is American, Australian, British, Colombian, Mexican, Filipino, Japanese, or Indian. You get the point. Here’s a thought. According to Paul, if you are a Christ follower, your first response should be your spiritual citizenship, not your natural one. We have been born again into God’s family, and our citizenship is not natural but supernatural.
Paul says that unless you grasp this truth, you will not be able to live out your Christ identity. Our conduct is directly related to our understanding and acknowledgment of which Kingdom we are from. As citizens of heaven, we represent our King (Jesus) and reflect the values and ways of God’s Kingdom. That gives us the lifestyle that fits the Good News we proclaim. Paul then gives us a brief picture of what that looks like, and it is truly heavenly…
Standing together means there are no divisions among us. One spirit, we are connected through the supernatural power the Holy Spirit gives us. One purpose, we are not confused or deluded about the purpose of our lives. We know who we are, we know Whose we are, and we know why we are here. We do not suffer from a spiritual identity crisis; we are born again from above to represent our King! Fighting together, we don’t fight one another; we contend for the faith, and with faith we overcome. There is not a single mention of me, my, or I. Why? Because “I” is too small a number to represent God’s kingdom. Heaven is not divided; heaven is united and speaks with one voice.
My wife, Miranda, and I raised four boys (by God’s grace). As the boys grew older and left the house to visit a friend or do some activity, she would always say to them: “Son, make sure you represent.” She did not mean represent us; she meant, as a follower of Jesus, to represent Christ. That is what Paul told the Philippians and what the Holy Spirit is telling us: “Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ.” Hey Philippians, make sure you represent. Hey Christ follower, make sure you represent!
Are you living as a citizen of heaven? How close are you to your fellow citizens? Remind yourself daily what representing heaven looks like and what your role is in it.
Prayer:
- Pray that you will live a life that is worthy of the Good News of Christ.
- Pray that the Lord will help you to connect with others for the purpose of fighting together for the faith.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to give us all one heart, one purpose so we can stand united for His kingdom.
- Purpose to connect and contend for community, ask for humility and a heart filled with grace. Be willing to endure hardship like Paul and Silas for the sake of others who are learning what it means to follow Christ.
Posted in Joyful Living Devotional