By Michael Youssef, Ph D.  08/28/20

In most cases, our citizenship to the country in which we live is bestowed upon us for simply being born into that country. Receiving citizenship into God’s Kingdom requires us to surrender our “citizenship” to this world and devote our lives to following Christ. Becoming a citizen of God’s Kingdom results in some incredible benefits.

However, we must remember that wherever we go in the world, we are ambassadors for Christ. Just as your behavior in a foreign country gives others an idea of what people from your country are like, so our behavior as believers tells the world what it means to be a Christian.

Citizens from God’s Kingdom carry with them the answers to some of life’s most difficult questions. The dying world in which we live is desperately seeking to find meaning and purpose in its existence.

As believers, we are infiltrating enemy territory, armed with the Truth of God’s Word, which will defeat the enemy’s tired, empty propaganda. Those people who are desperate for answers cannot afford for believers to live passively in their faith.

We must be wise in our approach, yet gentle in our speech. Threats of eternal condemnation will not change many lives, but the Truth about how God’s love washes away our sin will transform the hardest of hearts when the Holy Spirit is at work.

To live in a world that is far from our home certainly presents a number of challenges. But our citizenship in God’s Kingdom empowers us to live in such a manner that God will use us to radically change the world around us.

Prayer: Lord, use me to make an impact in the world around me as I passionately seek You. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

“Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us” (1 Peter 2:12).