The loss of loved ones often brings eternity sharply into focus. While we grieve and weep, we're confronted with a fundamental question: Are we truly living with the reality of heaven in mind?
The Bible tells us that "with the Lord one day is like a thousand years" (2 Peter 3:8). Our entire earthly lifetime is but a fleeting moment, a mere "half an hour" in God's eternal timeline. Yet, the world constantly pulls us towards earthly pursuits, distracting us from our true citizenship.
Philippians 3:20 says: "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ." We are here on a temporary assignment, not as permanent residents. So, how do we live as true citizens of heaven, even while still on earth?
Let's explore three distinguishing marks of a citizen of heaven:
1. A Heavenly Appetite
A heavenly appetite means our deepest craving is for Jesus Himself, not just His provisions.
What do you truly crave? When Jesus fed the 5,000 (John 6), the crowds sought after Him the next day for more physical bread.
Why did these people seek Him? Because their earthly needs were met. These people came to Jesus because they physically prospered. They thought to themselves, "This guy can multiply food. He can give us food. He can heal me of sicknesses, provide me with finances for retirement, take care of my children, etc. My life is set!”
Now we know that we're here on this earth for something much more important than that. But there's a different type of prosperity that can creep in - the prosperity of our feelings. We may come to God and say, "Lord, I only want to hear words that make me feel good, that are not uncomfortable, that don't convict, but that just keep me happy and comfortable." Alternatively, we may be seeking for a prosperity of intellect. In Silicon Valley, you might want a church to use bible studies that intellectually stimulate you. If so, we are in the same danger as those seeking earthly prosperity.
But later in John 6, Jesus challenged the crowds: "You seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled" (John 6:26). He then declared, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger" (John 6:35). As a result of this, many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore (John 6:66).
That's a sad story. They came for bread. They came for their earthly needs to be met. But Jesus said, "No, all you get is Me. All you get is Jesus. You get Me as the bread of life."
If I must have a heavenly appetite, I will be content with just Jesus’ presence and his likeness in me and everything else will be secondary and unnecessary.
2. A Heavenly Language
A dead give away of a foreign citizen is the language they speak. Our speech reveals our allegiance. Is your language filled with the gossip, complaining, or self-pity common in the world? Or does it carry a "heavenly accent"? Colossians 4:6 urges, "Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt." And Ephesians 4:29 instructs, "Let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but only that which is good for building up, according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear."
That's the heavenly accent we must have, an accent that builds up, brings grace, and keeps our tongues from gossip.
Psalm 118:15 (NASB) The sound of joyful shouting and salvation is in the tents of the righteous; The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.
If somebody were to sneak up on your home, what would they hear? Is it a shouting of siblings arguing with each other or husband and wife arguing with each other? Or is it a shouting of joy and salvation in the house of the righteous? That's the sound of praise, the sound of heaven that we can practice here on earth.
Psalms 149:4-6 (NASB) - For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the afflicted ones with salvation. Let the godly ones exult in glory; Let them sing for joy on their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth and a two-edged sword in their hand.
Do you know that the Lord intends to make us more beautiful through our trials? And the way he does that is being teaching us to sing for joy when we wake up and before we go to sleep because of who He is and not because of what we are going through. When doubt or anxiety creep in, we can wield the "two-edged sword" of God's Word (Hebrews 4:12) to violently separate the soulish from the spiritual, choosing to praise God despite our feelings
The primary language of heaven is praise as we read in Revelation 4 and Revelation 14. That’s pretty much all we do there. If we’re not comfortable praising God here on earth, we might find eternity in heaven quite boring! This is a heavenly practice we can cultivate daily.
3. A Heavenly Currency
We are like travelers at the airport, ready for our flight home. Are we still trying to accumulate the currency of this temporary country, or are we exchanging it for the currency of our eternal destination?
2 Corinthians 4:17-18 reveals heaven's currency: "For this momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen."
Our trials, when viewed through an eternal lens and fixed on Jesus, become opportunities to gain eternal glory – to be transformed into His likeness. The likeness of Jesus is the true heavenly currency, which we can acquire in the midst of our trials. The eternal weight of glory is the likeness of Jesus that I am being transformed into. It is the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control in my life through the power the Holy Spirit.
Are you cashing in on your trials today? The Lord may deliver you from your trial, but did you cash in on an eternal weight of glory through the trial? Did He transform you through the trial to to see more of His nature being brought out in you?
Ambassadors for Christ
Living as a heavenly citizen isn't just for our own spiritual benefit. It's for the world. We are called to carry the "fragrance of Christ" (2 Corinthians 2:14-16), an aroma that speaks of His knowledge and presence. We are "ambassadors for Christ" (2 Corinthians 5:20), through whom God makes His appeal to a lost world: "Be reconciled to God."
When people encounter us, may they see a peace, a joy, and a contentment that transcends earthly circumstances. May our heavenly appetite, language, and currency be a compelling witness, drawing others to the one true God.
Let's fix our eyes on Jesus and live each day with heaven as our ultimate reality, more real than any earthly trial or possession. Amen.