Job 20-21
Acts 10:24-48
“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.” Philippians 3:20-21
I (Brett McBride) love our country. I was born in Canada and grew up playing hockey and having Tim Hortons. I engage in our cultural delights like maple syrup, BeaverTails and poutine. Our national identity can be a strong formation in our life, and we often feel that cultural shaping when we travel to different countries in the world. When we travel from nation to nation, we begin to realize that within each nation there are distinct and different perspectives, people groups and social circles. We may be a citizen of a certain country, but within that country, we belong to a different subgroup or social structure. Hence, when I travel to different regions of the world now, I pray to God saying, “I know You are here at work amongst Your people. Help me to see it so that I can join You in it.”
When our life is centred on the worship of God, our national identity yields to God’s kingdom identity and exchanges our earthly values for heavenly ones. When we start with the kingdom of heaven, we subject our national preferences to God’s perspective which informs how we treat others from a different nation, tribe or language. As we consider the story of Rahab in Scripture, she was a Canaanite who hid two Israelite spies that went to scout out the city of Jericho, and refused to expose their whereabouts when the king of Jericho demanded her. For Rahab, her national identity gave way to her worship identity as God’s activity unfolded in her life.
As we look around the world today, however, we see a world fractured in this space and we need to be reminded that God called us to be a blessing to the nations. Jesus radically redefines our definition of family when his mother and brothers came wanting to speak to Him while He was teaching others. Jesus rhetorically asked, “Who is My mother, and who are My brothers?” Then, pointing to His disciples, He answered, “Here are My mother and My brothers. For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother” (Matthew 12:48-50). When we enter into a relationship with Jesus, we belong to a new family. God becomes our Father, and we become citizens of heaven. While I am a Canadian citizen, that is secondary to the reality that I am a citizen of the kingdom of heaven.
We live from our heavenly citizenship first and subject our national identity, our cultural identity, even our personal identity to what Christ is forming us into—a new tribe, a new people who will bring blessing to the world around it.
Dear Father, I subject my national, cultural and personal identity to what You are forming me into. Help me to identify areas of prejudice and racism that I need to confess to You. Thank You, Father.
Acts 10:24-48
“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.” Philippians 3:20-21
I (Brett McBride) love our country. I was born in Canada and grew up playing hockey and having Tim Hortons. I engage in our cultural delights like maple syrup, BeaverTails and poutine. Our national identity can be a strong formation in our life, and we often feel that cultural shaping when we travel to different countries in the world. When we travel from nation to nation, we begin to realize that within each nation there are distinct and different perspectives, people groups and social circles. We may be a citizen of a certain country, but within that country, we belong to a different subgroup or social structure. Hence, when I travel to different regions of the world now, I pray to God saying, “I know You are here at work amongst Your people. Help me to see it so that I can join You in it.”
When our life is centred on the worship of God, our national identity yields to God’s kingdom identity and exchanges our earthly values for heavenly ones. When we start with the kingdom of heaven, we subject our national preferences to God’s perspective which informs how we treat others from a different nation, tribe or language. As we consider the story of Rahab in Scripture, she was a Canaanite who hid two Israelite spies that went to scout out the city of Jericho, and refused to expose their whereabouts when the king of Jericho demanded her. For Rahab, her national identity gave way to her worship identity as God’s activity unfolded in her life.
As we look around the world today, however, we see a world fractured in this space and we need to be reminded that God called us to be a blessing to the nations. Jesus radically redefines our definition of family when his mother and brothers came wanting to speak to Him while He was teaching others. Jesus rhetorically asked, “Who is My mother, and who are My brothers?” Then, pointing to His disciples, He answered, “Here are My mother and My brothers. For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother” (Matthew 12:48-50). When we enter into a relationship with Jesus, we belong to a new family. God becomes our Father, and we become citizens of heaven. While I am a Canadian citizen, that is secondary to the reality that I am a citizen of the kingdom of heaven.
We live from our heavenly citizenship first and subject our national identity, our cultural identity, even our personal identity to what Christ is forming us into—a new tribe, a new people who will bring blessing to the world around it.
Dear Father, I subject my national, cultural and personal identity to what You are forming me into. Help me to identify areas of prejudice and racism that I need to confess to You. Thank You, Father.
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