Several months ago, our Sunday School class was studying the book of Philippians. We read Philippians 3:20 which says, "But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ". My Sunday School teacher went on to give an illustration that really hit home to me. It went something like this:
When we are in a foreign country, we have to be careful not to drink the water, because it isnt consistent with the water we drink in our homeland. If we go to Mexico and drink tap water, we will more than likely get sick from drinking it. Since our citizenship is in heaven, here on earth, we need to be careful not to partake of things that are not consistent with what is done in our homeland. If people in our homeland (heaven) arent doing ___________(you fill in the blank), then we shouldnt be doing _________________(fill in the blank again) either.
To stay consistent with what the people in our homeland are doing is a pretty lofty goal, but it is one we should all try our best to achieve. I guess the best way to describe it is that we need to try to be holy and live holy lives everyday. Leviticus 19:2b says, ".......Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy."
Romans 12:1 says "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God that you present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service." That verse tells us that it is our reasonable service to present ourselves to God as a holy scarifice. So, in other words, it is the least we can do considering what Jesus did for us on the cross.
Lord, help me be holy because you are. Help me to live like a citizen of heaven and not like a citizen of this earth.
9 comments:
I did read your post, and enjoyed it... but I have to respond to your comment on my post today, first! :
YES! Jif is awesome. I used to keep huge tubs of it, until I realized how much we were eating, and it is trans-fat city, so we weaned ourselves off it and onto the "natural" stuff in the "healthy" section. I've learned to love it, too... but as far as the "good stuff" goes, Jif is THE ONE! :)
I'm going to come back when I have a little more time. It's nice to "meet" you!
Jen
Oh Jennifer, you are such a good mother.....I could never wean my family off of Jif and onto healthy peanut butter. We dont even go to the healthy section of the grocery store!!! I am terrible!!! My kids favorite snack is Cheez-Its! I did agree with all your other favs though. Thanks for visiting!!!
I used to have a thing for red heads when I was in my dating years... then it passed... then it came back... when I realized my nephew had red hair.. too cute... I definitely have a soft spot in my heart for red headed little boys !!
I'm so glad you found me. I look forward to reading your blog more !!
Thank you for your nice comment on my blog & for letting me know I'm not alone! I extremely enjoyed reading your blog today & it really ministered to my heart. Your passion for the Lord is very evident & it's an encouragement to me. Thank you...I'll be back again!
Yaaay! People are reading my blog and not falling asleep!!!
Great post! Striving to be holy is a daily struggle for me. I can get so caught up in wordly things that I forget that I'm "set apart".
What a wonderful reminder to me today! Thank you so much for sharing this! :)
AND NO, I'm definitely not falling asleep. I have LOVED reading your posts! :)
Yeah Beth...your blog sounds great and I would say that you write well! Thanks for dropping by my blog and your nice comments. I can't wait for the sound of the trumpet and the shout as I am tired of going through the never ending problems of this life....day after day I yearn more and more to be with our Saviour in that beautiful new world. I can't wait for rapture...not to mention about the Millennium...ooh and the new earth that is coming...what a great privilege to know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. What a great joy to be a part of one great family of God. God bless you and your family.
Until He returns,
Dason
Malaysia
Dason,
I love to talk to people who are so excited about Jesus' return. There are so many Christians who get bogged down by life that they forget that this world is just a stepping stone to get to our real home. I talk to people who claim to be Christians, but they have no joy in their life. How could we not be joyful when we could be called away at any time to meet Jesus? That, my friend, is something to get excited about!
My, oh my! You have such wisdom, dear one! I am asking permission to quote you in this part of your thoughts!
You wrote:" Since our citizenship is in heaven, here on earth, we need to be careful not to partake of things that are not consistent with what is done in our homeland. If people in our homeland (heaven) arent doing ___________(you fill in the blank), then we shouldnt be doing _________________(fill in the blank again) either."
I love it!!Thank you for such thought provoking posts! I am continuing to read and will surely have other comments about more of your thoughts on your blog!
Janice
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