17 Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. 18 For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. (Phil. 3:17-21 ESV)
My Beloved,
Your passport says HEAVEN. But your address says EARTH. You’re a citizen of heaven. But you’re living here on earth. So, bring a little bit of heaven to earth. Give people around you a taste of the divine. Let the way you speak to others and treat others be a window through which they glimpse just how good our Father and his ways truly are.
I know that’s easy for me to say. And it’s hard for you to do. The peer pressure you face pulls you toward a more earthly kind of behavior. Your world is filled with people who can’t seem to see beyond their own hunger for power or possessions. People who boast about things that are truly shameful. And they want you to be a part of it!
But don’t worry. I’m at your service. I’ll help you be the heavenly minded human my Father has made you to be. And know that by the time I return in person, you’ll be fully and wholly transformed into a piece of heaven itself.
In the meantime, I’m surrounding you with inspiring heroes. Just look around. At worship. In the office. In your classroom. In your family. I’ve placed some people near you through whom heaven is breaking into earth. That couple who’s been married for fifty years because of me. That girl in the class above you who reaches out to those whom others in your school neglect. That teacher who finds a way to bring God into every lesson he teaches. Keep your eyes on them. Imitate them. And let heaven shine through you.
Grace and peace,
Jesus
