December 30, 2023: We Await A Savior

"But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body..." (Philippians 3:20,21 ESV)
 
Are there times when you no longer feel a part of this world? Paul did. He was excited to know that he was a citizen of heaven. And being a citizen of heaven created a longing in his heart to be there. What does it mean to be a citizen of heaven? The Greek word for citizen has as its root a word meaning 'fortified place." Later, it came to mean a community member sharing the same values.

Abraham was looking for that city whose builder and maker was God. (Hebrews 11:10,16). Seeing this city from afar, he lived as a pilgrim and stranger on Earth (Hebrews 11:14,16). As citizens of heaven, we are not a foreign colony on Earth but aliens in this place, just passing through. We, too, are looking for and moving toward this city built by God.

We are waiting for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ! And we know we will be transformed to have a glorious body like His when He returns. A body that will not wear out, break down, or contain any bad or missing parts. Being a believer gives me citizenship in two worlds: a heavenly one there and an earthly one here. It makes me kind of homesick.