Sunday, October 3, 2010

October 5 (Philippians 3:20)

But our citizenship is in heaven. (NIV)

I recently had the opportunity to talk with a teenage boy about some rather serious matters. He is in the ROTC at his school and comes from a military family that has seen his older brother killed two years ago in Iraq. He wanted to talk with me about issues of war, and he began the conversation by saying he thought he knew where I stood politically. I replied that the more important thing for me than my political views is the fact that I am a Christian and that this, more than anything, shapes my views.

Examine your own beliefs, as evidenced by how you actually live your life. Among the various identities we have…Republican, Democrat, American, alum of a certain university, man, woman, older, younger, particular ethnicity, Christian…which one really shapes those beliefs and guides your life? It is easy to associate our Christian faith with other ideologies until we are convinced that thinking along those lines is to think as a Christian.

Paul puts it bluntly in his letter to the Philippians. We may pay taxes to the United States government and alumni dues to a particular university, but our true identity lies with Christ Jesus in heaven. This over all must direct everything we do, say, and think, from our most significant to our most momentous decisions.

Gracious Father, I am Yours by the blood of my Lord, Jesus Christ. May my status as Your redeemed servant direct all that I do, to the glory of Your holy name. Amen.

Copyright © 2010 by Steven R. Perkins

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