Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Parallel Citizenship

PARALLEL CITIZENSHIP
Luke 2:14
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.”

Do you think this year is off to a great start? Do you feel, as a partner with Almighty God (Joint Venture devotion) and living by faith and not by sight (Higher Reality devotion), that one of your feet is on planet Earth, and the other one is dangling in thin air? It’s hard to stand firm when both feet aren’t secure on solid ground. As a believer in Christ, we’re currently between worlds. We’ve got parallel (PAR-a-lell means matching) citizenships in both this world and the next (heaven).

What’s weird is that this dual citizenship is simultaneous. We dare looking into our future in Heaven, while still battling trials on Earth. How many people have both these citizenships? It’s hard to tell just by looking. The person sitting beside you could either be your brother or sister in Christ, or a person who’s future does not include eternity in heaven.

Some people had a dramatic life that displayed both citizenships openly. Imagine Mary, when the angel told her that she was going to give birth to Jesus. Her one foot was in familiar territory, where she was engaged to be married, and the other foot was dangling in space. How would she tell Joseph? How would her parents react to their pregnant, unmarried daughter? (Luke 1:26-45).

And imagine Joseph. He fell in love with this girl and wanted to marry her, only to discover that she’s pregnant—with God’s Son! (Matthew 1:18-25). He must have wondered who this girl was, that God chose her to have His Son. Was he crazy to marry Mary? One thing we know for sure: he believed what the angel told him, and obeyed.

Both of their struggles must have been torment. Mary was thrilled to have been chosen as the one who would give birth to her long-awaited Messiah. On the other hand, she was at the mercy of Joseph’s, her parent’s, and neighbor’s disgust. But her song is still sung today! (Luke 1:46-56).
Whenever God allows His kids to live through troubled times, He walks with us. He equips us, strengthens us, and cheers our victory. It sure grows our faith when ending up on solid ground after one foot’s been dangling in thin air!

Take Home Nugget


Christmas is when we see the two worlds collide. The Lord of both worlds descended to live by the rules of the one when Jesus surrendered His deity to live as a human. What Jesus accomplished on Earth made it possible for God to resolve all discord in both worlds!

The key to Christmas is ‘Immanuel’—God with us!!
J.D. Griffith
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