Citizenship

Some countries, but not all, allow dual citizenship. The United States is one of those. I knew a young man who grew up in a missionary family in Brazil who had citizenship in both nations. The US and Brazil. It can be advantageous until you get called up for the army in a country that you don’t wish to fight for. That gets a little complicated.

I am proud to be a citizen of the United States. It may arguably be the best place in the world to grow up. I’m not always proud of our government these days, but I’m still glad that I live here in the good old USA. Is this my only loyalty, though? No, I have another citizenship that I take more seriously.

The apostle Paul was a Jew who held Roman citizenship. An interesting combination, right? He was proud of his Jewish heritage, but he used his Roman citizenship to gain special treatment when he was arrested. He was also able to be taken to Rome to plead his case. But that position was not most important to him. He had a higher calling. A greater citizenship, which is what he told the Philippians in his letter to them while a prisoner in Rome.

He said: “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 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” (Philippians 3:20-21, NIV).

Paul had something great to look forward to. And so do we, if we belong to Christ. Are you a member of the kingdom of God? Do you have dual citizenship, here on earth and in heaven? Which is most important to you? Are you showing others what it is like to be a “child of the King?”