Thursday, July 17
Aliens and Strangers
For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Philippians 3:20
Recommended Reading
Philippians 3:17-21 [ iz3.me]
The question of who is, or can become, an American citizen became an issue in the earliest days of the republic. The Alien and Sedition Acts were four bills signed into law in 1798. Fast forward to today and "immigration reform" is a current, unsolved problem. Citizenship is important.
Listen to Today's Radio Message [ iz3.me]
Though citizenship and boundaries were less well defined in the ancient world, people still knew when they were "aliens and strangers." Versions of that latter phrase occur frequently in the Old Testament -- in the accounts of Abraham (Genesis 23:4), Job (Job 19:15), the psalmists (Psalm 69:8), and the wise (Proverbs 5:10). But a most unusual expression of the phrase occurs in Hebrews 11:13, where it is said that the faithful thought of themselves as "strangers and pilgrims on the earth." It's one thing to be a stranger in another country, but another thing to be a stranger on a planet.
If you sometimes feel out of place on planet earth, remember that you are a citizen of heaven. What you feel is a longing for your native land.
If you are a Christian, you are not a citizen of this world trying to get to heaven; you are a citizen of heaven making your way through this world.
Vance Havner
Read-Thru-the-Bible
Isaiah 9-11 [ iz3.me] |
