The Gospel and Mortification

Last Sunday I preached from 1 Peter 2:11-12. Peter writes,

“Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.”

A friend of mine texted me the following in response to the message,

“There are no dual citizenships in the kingdom of heaven. We are here on a work visa.”

I love that quote because it captures the heart of the passage, which urges us to live here like citizens of somewhere else. I think in my own life I can see this tendency toward “dual citizenship.” I want to spend and be spent for the kingdom and my true home in heaven, but I also feel the tug and pull of this world. I want a new this, a new that. Sometimes I’d rather spend on myself than give generously to a cause that will invest into the Kingdom. Sometimes I don’t want to talk to the person in the store. Don’t get me wrong; buying things, going on vacations, running into the store without sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ are not wrong. I am talking more about the tendency I can feel toward disconnecting my faith from my everyday. I can be in “Kingdom” mode sometimes, and “Me” mode at other times. Does that make sense? How does that work out in your life? Well friends, there are no dual citizenships in the kingdom of heaven! May God’s grace illuminate to us ways we can be in this world while citizens of Heaven!