Where Is Your Citizenship? - iBelieve Truth: A Devotional for Women - November 5, 2024
"My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." John 14:2-3
After traveling abroad, I’m always excited as I anticipate my return home. Each time it’s necessary at the port of entry to present proof of citizenship to the Immigration officials so that they can make a determination whether or not you are allowed entry into the country. This is typically an easy yet necessary process for U.S. citizens when they return from visiting other countries. It’s both joyful and comforting to hear the words “Welcome home!”
Home is meant to be a place of solace, warmth, family, and heartening familiarity. As citizens, we were born into our homelands, thus finding familiar comforts in our own language, heritage, and culture.
But where is our true home? And how are we born into it?
Just as we become citizens through physical birth, there is a spiritual birth that takes place when we claim our citizenship in the eternal Kingdom. Jesus has told us that He is coming back for us and that he has a home prepared for us (John 14:2-3). When we give our lives to Christ, believing that He was God’s one and only son, fully God, and man, living without sin, dying for ours, and miraculously rising from the grave, we experience the spiritual birth that produces everlasting salvation in Christ Jesus.
What an excitement it is to know Jesus and someday to be welcomed into our spiritual homeland! For us, this is not just a hope, but a certainty. If you recall when you first accepted Jesus as Lord, you’ll likely remember the overwhelming joy and freedom you felt in that moment—unlike any other.
Yet, as time goes on, we often become distracted by the everyday troubles, petty arguments, annoyances, politics, and desires that draw us away from the heart of God—away from that abundant joy and freedom we once felt. Whether it’s worrying about finances, our retirement plan, the upcoming election, or why the barista who made our coffee this morning was rude for no apparent reason, we must ultimately pause to remember that heaven, not this earth is our true home.
So, I dare ask the question: Where is your citizenship?
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:33
Jesus reminds us in Matthew that “whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.” There is a lot to glean from this as we fall into patterns of the flesh, producing division, pain, gossip, and hatred within our hearts. When we become distracted from the true path in these ways, we fail to live within the citizenship we’ve been so graciously granted, and we fail to extend that same mercy and love to others.
As the example, our reflection of Jesus matters.
While the eternity that awaits us as believers is wonderful, that which awaits those who do not know Jesus is not; it will be more agonizing, lonely, and dreadful than we could ever begin to imagine. We should not wish this for anyone, let alone remain apathetic in regard to where others will spend eternity.
If we are the example for others, why aren’t we more concerned about our heavenly home than we are about this temporary earthly home, that which is but a blink of our forever? We have every opportunity to share that radical light, love, and joy that Jesus has given us—a love that is especially powerful when it’s extended to those who don’t “deserve” it, or those most difficult to love.
Who cares about their heavenly home more than their earthly home?
I work on a team to provide Bibles to people in Eastern Europe, where believers have faced ongoing persecution, wars, and changing government systems. So many of these individuals are desperate for the Word of God – especially to have it in their own language for the very first time. Despite the opposition they may have faced for placing their faith in Christ Jesus, their eyes remain fixed on Him, and their focus remains on their heavenly citizenship over that of their earthly home, nationality, or circumstances.
These believers see their fellow Christian brothers and sisters standing on enemy lines as just that—brothers and sisters. Along the same vein, their “enemies,” whether it be those who have persecuted them, scoffed at their faith, betrayed them, partnered in war against them, or taken away their freedoms, have been met with love and prayer from these Christians.
Let’s take our citizenship seriously.
The next time you’re returning from traveling abroad and you hear that comforting “welcome home,” I urge you to ponder the warm “welcome home” you’ll one day hear from Jesus Himself, hopefully, accompanied by, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”
As we reflect on the whereabouts of our true citizenship, let’s also consider what our actions and focus reveal about our hearts. Like the Christians of Eastern Europe, may we forgo our consuming concerns about earthly identity, arguments, and politics—things that are transient and will one day fade away—to instead prioritize ministering to others in love and mercy, focusing on our heavenly home that will last forever.
Let's pray:
"Father God, please grant my heart the constant peace that my home is in heaven, and with this truth in mind, may I live for your approval alone, serving others for your honor and glory. In your holy Name, Amen."
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/ismagilovjpg
Bob Burckle is the President of EEM, which has been delivering God’s Word to the people of Eastern Europe since 1961, now reaching 32 countries in 25 languages. In 2023, EEM provided nearly 2 million Bibles and other biblical materials in multiple languages throughout the region. Learn how you can help at eem.org.
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Today we're doing something a little different. Instead of going deep in a passage, we're talking about what to do when deep feels like too much — when you need less, not more. Specifically, I'm walking you through one of my favorite practices for weary seasons: handwriting scripture.
Not typing it. Not scrolling past it. Actually writing it out, slowly, in your own hand — because something happens in your brain when you do that. The words land differently. They go deeper. And over time, they become part of that personal library of God's voice that the Holy Spirit can pull from when you need it most. That's what Psalm 119:11 means when it says I have hidden your word in my heart — it's scripture moving into your long-term memory, where it lives and stays even when you haven't opened your Bible in weeks.
I'm sharing the five verses I wrote out for myself today — and why each one hit me fresh even though I've known some of them for years. This episode is part of our How to Study the Bible Podcast, a show that brings life back to reading the Bible and helps you understand even the hardest parts of Scripture. If this episode helps you know and love God more, be sure to follow the How to Study the Bible Podcast on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
