Are We Acting Like Citizens of Heaven?

A citizen of heaven will only worship the one true God, sings praises to Him, prays to Him, continually thinks of Him,  will be obedient to His wishes, and their concerns are the affairs of Heaven.

A citizen of Heaven will only be concerned with doing the will of the Father.  A citizen of heaven will know what it is that their heavenly Father is expecting in their behavior, their deeds, their agenda, and their lifestyle.

Paul tells us as citizens of heaven that we are to act in a manner pleasing to our heavenly Father, doing His will and counting everything else that goes on on this planet as garbage.  The only worthwhile thing one could be doing is spreading the good news of the gospel, telling everyone that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Let’s put this into perspective, a citizen of any country is supposed to abide by its rules and laws and what is legal and acceptable in some countries, may not be acceptable in other countries.  So if you are from a foreign country and visit another country, you first need permission to go there.  Then your time is often limited in that particular country.  The only way to stay permanently is to apply for residency otherwise if you pass your allotted time it would be unlawful to remain there.  In some countries, drug use and prostitution are acceptable and in others, it is punishable by jail time or even death.  Some countries allow the practices of Christianity while others condone it and will kill you if you’re found practicing it.  You see that is why citizens of different countries have to abide by their own rules and some don’t want to change or are not allowed, like Islam, in the countries that practice this form of religion there are specific rules that each individual need to adhere to otherwise death may come upon you.  If you visit another country you stay true to your beliefs and are not swayed.

Well the same goes for a citizen of heaven, God has set rules and ways of life that He expects His children to live by,  The Bible says we are just here in this world passing through, it’s just temporary.

We are not to conform to its lusts and its ways.  We are to be in it, but not of it.  We need to have our worldly blinders on and be focused on the real reason we are here and that is to spread the good news.  Paul preaches this continually throughout his ministry as did Jesus.

People are born into sin.  They grow up in this sin-filled world and are blinded by the millions upon millions of people living their lives the way they want.  This has normalized it and Christians have become desensitized to its sinful way of life.  Christians have become complacent and see the ways of the world as just a normal way of life, when in fact that is so far from the truth.  The Bible says in 1 John 2:17 “And this world and its lusts are fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.”  Also in Isaiah 24:1-3 it says “Look! The Lord is about to destroy the earth and make it a vast wasteland. He devastates the surface of the earth and scatters the people. 2 Priests and laypeople, servants and masters, maids and mistresses, buyers and sellers, lenders and borrowers, bankers and debtors—none will be spared. 3 The earth will be completely emptied and looted.  The Lord has spoken!  And while we are on the topic of why we should be acting like true citizens of heaven doing the will of our Father in heaven I would like to remind you of this.”

In 2 Peter 3:8-18 it says this: “8 But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. 9 The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. 10 But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment.

11 Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, 12 looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames. 13 But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness.

14 And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight.

15 And remember, our Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved. This is what our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him— 16 speaking of these things in all of his letters. Some of his comments are hard to understand, and those who are ignorant and unstable have twisted his letters to mean something quite different, just as they do with other parts of Scripture. And this will result in their destruction.

17 You already know these things, dear friends. So be on guard; then you will not be carried away by the errors of these wicked people and lose your own secure footing. 18 Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen.”

The world and its ways are passing away.  The world and its lusts only lead you away from God and towards eternal damnation.  Christians need to read their Word and let it speak to them.  This is no matter to take lightly, for the Lord Jesus is coming back and it will be for those who want to truly love Him and wish to serve Him, following His commands, they will be saved and spend their eternity with Him.  You must renew your mind and your way of thinking.  You do this by truly accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and truly believing in the Word of God.  Following it and living it, for this is how Paul described the life of a citizen of heaven.  Remember you’re only passing through this world, so spread the Good News planting everlasting citizen of heaven seeds as you do.  As we patiently await our Lord to return, keep your lens focused on Him.  Do the things that please Him, learn His ways, and most of all love people.