WHERE IS YOUR CITIZENSHIP LISTED?
According to the Bible there are two forms of citizenship. First, all human beings are born physically of this world within a country of which they become a citizen. In America you are not only a citizen of the United States but within the boundaries of the state where you were born. What we need to realize that no human form of citizenship will last and will eventually come to an end.
The worldly citizenship is under the influence of Satan. Here in America, we have Satan’s influence in politics, among the different races, and even in our religious groups. There is racial unrest and instability, killings, robbing, destruction, without regards for the laws of the land and no consideration for human life. Satan is becoming the god of this country and the world. The present age is becoming more and more evil. Slowly, each generation is adopting the culture, practices, and desires that Satan wants through people’s unfaithfulness, untrustworthiness, greed, disloyalty, and misguided views.
For those that have received Jesus as their Lord and Savior, you should not feel comfortable in this world, you should feel out of place, it is because this world is not your home. Do you feel like strangers in a foreign country as stated of Abraham in Hebrews 11:9? When you are born again by faith in Jesus, John 3:3, you are born into the Kingdom of Heaven. When you have that spiritual rebirth, God grants us citizenship in the Kingdom of Heaven and we become new creatures, 2 Corinthians 5:17.
With this spiritual rebirth, God sends His Holy Spirit to indwell with our spirit and our bodies become the temple of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit begins to transform our sinful nature and desires into the will of God. How long this takes depends on your surrendering of self to the will of God. Some will give themselves over to the Lord completely, some will take a little longer, and some will turn away from God. God’s goal is to make us as much like Jesus as possible in this life before making us citizens of His Kingdom. Our time in this physical body is short and the older you get, the faster time seems to go by.
Because God loves you beyond your understanding, He has given you the privilege to accept His invitation to become a citizen in His eternal Kingdom. God is not going to beg you, threaten you, or entice you to accept His invitation. It is a free gift by the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ who suffered and died on the Cross of Calvary and shed His blood to cover our sins. You have the freedom to choose (and I mean freedom) to make your choice. You do have to make a choice. You can follow Jesus or you can follow Satan. You cannot ride the fence so to speak. In Revelation 3:15-16 (NIV) Jesus says: 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. In Matthew 6:24 (NIV) 24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. In other words choose your place of citizenship.
For those whose name is written in the Book of Life, their citizenship is in Heaven and those that are not, their citizenship is in Hades. Revelation 20:12-15 (NIV) 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire, and in Philippians 3:19-21 (NIV) 19 their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
Please make a choice today as you have no promise of tomorrow. As for me, my citizenship is in the Kingdom of God. I pray that yours is there. Love to all.
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