Joyful Living Devotional - Day 33
Day 33 - Heavenly Minded
Philippians 3:20-21 (NLT) 20 But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. 21 He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.
For the second time in Paul’s letter, he reminds the Philippians of where their citizenship lies. In chapter 1, verse 27, he writes: “Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ” (NLT). He reminds them of their heavenly citizenship and the eager anticipation they should have as they await Jesus' return. Jesus will not only transform our weak mortal bodies into glorious bodies like His own, but He will also bring everything under His control! Paul gives the Philippians a clear picture on which they can hang their hope. They don’t have to give in to the same low living that allows the flesh to dominate, that makes idols of earthly desires, or that lets appetites govern their lives.
In both instances of mentioning their heavenly citizenship, he connects it with their daily conduct of living out the Good News they preach. Paul is saying that because you are citizens of heaven, where Jesus is in charge, you need to show not only by your proclamation that you belong to Christ but also in your daily lives. Your lifestyle must back up what your mouth so boldly proclaims. Unlike those who are looking for ways to justify ungodly ways of living, you press into the truth of Who you belong to and live lives that honor Christ.
He is telling the Philippians, "You of all people should understand what citizenship truly means: You are living in a Roman colony, and it is evident in the practices, governance, language spoken, morals observed, and even the clothes they wear. It is distinctively Roman, with allegiance to Caesar as lord. So don’t forget who you represent, but also don’t forget the promise that comes with your citizenship. Just as a citizen of a country has certain privileges, you need to remember yours.”
It is easy to forget, amid the maelstrom of the day and the chaos of the age in which we live, that we belong to the Heavenly Kingdom, where Christ is King. We see people changing the gospel of Christ into a gospel of convenience. Where truth is sacrificed on the altar of self-idolatry. Where we create a god in our image and likeness, instead of being formed into His likeness. Where God’s Word goes from command to suggestion. We literally twist Scripture like a twice-turned pretzel to fit what we believe, instead of simply believing what God clearly said.
Oh, that we would cling to the cross! Hold fast to our confession of faith and pursue righteousness amid a crooked and perverse generation. That we would be reminded by the Holy Spirit that we are Christ’s ambassadors, representing the Gospel of reconciliation to a world that needs God’s grace and truth more than ever. This transformative power will not operate in a spirit of compromise or appeasement. We must be willing to stand out, speak up, and live out our citizenship. We cannot give in to the hatred we might face. Jesus said, “18 ‘If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you’” (John 15:18-19 NIV). As citizens of heaven, we live by the law of love, and we let Jesus have the last word. Just like Christ, no matter how much hatred we receive, our only response is, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”
"A Christian is an odd mixture. He reads the Bible, believes it, and obeys it. The world hates him because he is not like them, yet he loves them and tells them about Jesus. He is an alien here, looking for a city whose builder and maker is God."
– A.W. Tozer
It is because we know that we represent our Heavenly Father and His kingdom that we can love as He loves and forgive as He forgives. That strength is not born of our own will or accord but of full reliance on the Holy Spirit to empower us to live out the principles of our Father’s kingdom. We know it is the only way transformation can and will happen.
"If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next. The Apostles themselves, who set on foot the conversion of the Roman Empire, the great English philanthropists who abolished the slave trade, all left their mark on Earth, precisely because their minds were occupied with Heaven."
– C.S. Lewis
Because our minds are fixed on our heavenly citizenship, we have a hope that cannot disappoint. We are waiting for the return of Christ Jesus, our Lord. When He returns, He will place all things under His rule and reign, and all that we have contended for will finally be evident to all. The hope we have in Christ reaches far beyond anything we can imagine, think, or even dream. When Christ returns, our broken, lowly bodies, subject to pain, decay, sickness, and ultimately death, will be gloriously transformed into the same resurrected body as Jesus’.
"Believers are currently citizens of heaven not to return there but to be agents of heavenly civilization on earth, anticipating Jesus' return."
– N.T. Wright
The life we have received, the kingdom to which we belong, and the citizenship granted to us through Christ’s death and resurrection are not shallow, faint, feeble, or fickle. They are glorious and victorious. So we set our minds on the heavenly kingdom and our heavenly citizenship, because remembering who we represent draws on the power evident in His kingdom. Knowing this reality frees us to live for God’s glory and fills us with a constant hope for what is to come.
As Eugene Peterson writes in the Message Paraphrase of Romans 8:15-21: “15-17 This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike ‘What’s next, Papa?’ God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what’s coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we’re certainly going to go through the good times with him! 18-21 That’s why I don’t think there’s any comparison between the present hard times and the coming good times. The created world itself can hardly wait for what’s coming next. Everything in creation is being more or less held back. God reins it in until both creation and all the creatures are ready and can be released at the same moment into the glorious times ahead. Meanwhile, the joyful anticipation deepens.”
So don’t let the enemy of your faith make you short-sighted, and don’t let tough times harden your heart. There is glory in your future, glory you cannot even imagine. Keep your eyes on Jesus, His Word in your heart, His message on your lips, and with joyful anticipation, look up, for your redemption is closer than you think!
Prayer:
“Heavenly Father, thank You that I am a citizen of heaven, a member of Your family, adopted into Your household, and given a brand-new life and a hope for the future that transcends today’s difficulties. Help me to represent Your kingdom well and to share the Good News of Your grace. Whatever You want me to do and with whomever You want me to share, give me the courage to speak boldly and to dismiss any fear of man from my heart. With joyful anticipation, I look forward to the day when Christ will return and transform all of creation for His glory! Come, Jesus, come! Amen!
Philippians 3:20-21 (NLT) 20 But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. 21 He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.
For the second time in Paul’s letter, he reminds the Philippians of where their citizenship lies. In chapter 1, verse 27, he writes: “Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ” (NLT). He reminds them of their heavenly citizenship and the eager anticipation they should have as they await Jesus' return. Jesus will not only transform our weak mortal bodies into glorious bodies like His own, but He will also bring everything under His control! Paul gives the Philippians a clear picture on which they can hang their hope. They don’t have to give in to the same low living that allows the flesh to dominate, that makes idols of earthly desires, or that lets appetites govern their lives.
In both instances of mentioning their heavenly citizenship, he connects it with their daily conduct of living out the Good News they preach. Paul is saying that because you are citizens of heaven, where Jesus is in charge, you need to show not only by your proclamation that you belong to Christ but also in your daily lives. Your lifestyle must back up what your mouth so boldly proclaims. Unlike those who are looking for ways to justify ungodly ways of living, you press into the truth of Who you belong to and live lives that honor Christ.
He is telling the Philippians, "You of all people should understand what citizenship truly means: You are living in a Roman colony, and it is evident in the practices, governance, language spoken, morals observed, and even the clothes they wear. It is distinctively Roman, with allegiance to Caesar as lord. So don’t forget who you represent, but also don’t forget the promise that comes with your citizenship. Just as a citizen of a country has certain privileges, you need to remember yours.”
It is easy to forget, amid the maelstrom of the day and the chaos of the age in which we live, that we belong to the Heavenly Kingdom, where Christ is King. We see people changing the gospel of Christ into a gospel of convenience. Where truth is sacrificed on the altar of self-idolatry. Where we create a god in our image and likeness, instead of being formed into His likeness. Where God’s Word goes from command to suggestion. We literally twist Scripture like a twice-turned pretzel to fit what we believe, instead of simply believing what God clearly said.
Oh, that we would cling to the cross! Hold fast to our confession of faith and pursue righteousness amid a crooked and perverse generation. That we would be reminded by the Holy Spirit that we are Christ’s ambassadors, representing the Gospel of reconciliation to a world that needs God’s grace and truth more than ever. This transformative power will not operate in a spirit of compromise or appeasement. We must be willing to stand out, speak up, and live out our citizenship. We cannot give in to the hatred we might face. Jesus said, “18 ‘If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you’” (John 15:18-19 NIV). As citizens of heaven, we live by the law of love, and we let Jesus have the last word. Just like Christ, no matter how much hatred we receive, our only response is, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”
"A Christian is an odd mixture. He reads the Bible, believes it, and obeys it. The world hates him because he is not like them, yet he loves them and tells them about Jesus. He is an alien here, looking for a city whose builder and maker is God."
– A.W. Tozer
It is because we know that we represent our Heavenly Father and His kingdom that we can love as He loves and forgive as He forgives. That strength is not born of our own will or accord but of full reliance on the Holy Spirit to empower us to live out the principles of our Father’s kingdom. We know it is the only way transformation can and will happen.
"If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next. The Apostles themselves, who set on foot the conversion of the Roman Empire, the great English philanthropists who abolished the slave trade, all left their mark on Earth, precisely because their minds were occupied with Heaven."
– C.S. Lewis
Because our minds are fixed on our heavenly citizenship, we have a hope that cannot disappoint. We are waiting for the return of Christ Jesus, our Lord. When He returns, He will place all things under His rule and reign, and all that we have contended for will finally be evident to all. The hope we have in Christ reaches far beyond anything we can imagine, think, or even dream. When Christ returns, our broken, lowly bodies, subject to pain, decay, sickness, and ultimately death, will be gloriously transformed into the same resurrected body as Jesus’.
"Believers are currently citizens of heaven not to return there but to be agents of heavenly civilization on earth, anticipating Jesus' return."
– N.T. Wright
The life we have received, the kingdom to which we belong, and the citizenship granted to us through Christ’s death and resurrection are not shallow, faint, feeble, or fickle. They are glorious and victorious. So we set our minds on the heavenly kingdom and our heavenly citizenship, because remembering who we represent draws on the power evident in His kingdom. Knowing this reality frees us to live for God’s glory and fills us with a constant hope for what is to come.
As Eugene Peterson writes in the Message Paraphrase of Romans 8:15-21: “15-17 This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike ‘What’s next, Papa?’ God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what’s coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we’re certainly going to go through the good times with him! 18-21 That’s why I don’t think there’s any comparison between the present hard times and the coming good times. The created world itself can hardly wait for what’s coming next. Everything in creation is being more or less held back. God reins it in until both creation and all the creatures are ready and can be released at the same moment into the glorious times ahead. Meanwhile, the joyful anticipation deepens.”
So don’t let the enemy of your faith make you short-sighted, and don’t let tough times harden your heart. There is glory in your future, glory you cannot even imagine. Keep your eyes on Jesus, His Word in your heart, His message on your lips, and with joyful anticipation, look up, for your redemption is closer than you think!
Prayer:
“Heavenly Father, thank You that I am a citizen of heaven, a member of Your family, adopted into Your household, and given a brand-new life and a hope for the future that transcends today’s difficulties. Help me to represent Your kingdom well and to share the Good News of Your grace. Whatever You want me to do and with whomever You want me to share, give me the courage to speak boldly and to dismiss any fear of man from my heart. With joyful anticipation, I look forward to the day when Christ will return and transform all of creation for His glory! Come, Jesus, come! Amen!
Posted in Joyful Living Devotional