Citizens Of Glory - The Promise of Lent Devotional

Citizens Of Glory

Read: Romans 8:18-21

What we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.

Romans 8:18

WHEN A PERSON seeks citizenship in a new country, he or she is usually required to renounce allegiance to the old one. Why? Because sometimes the national interests of different countries are in conflict. No country is well served by the double-minded. Loyalties must be clearly stated.

Those who have entered into a relationship with Christ live in two realms and, for a time, have dual citizenship. But we can retain our loyalty to only one, the world or the Kingdom, because their interests stand in conflict with each other. Much of the Christian life is framed by this conflict; we are constantly having to forsake the old way of life for the new, envision our future and put away our past, and embrace the culture of the Kingdom over the culture of the world and its ways. The realm we see with our physical eyes is subject to death and decay. The realm we see with the eyes of faith is not. Every moment of every day we face a choice: Which realm will we live in, invest in, place our hopes in, and cultivate in ourselves and in the lives of those around us? The choices are rarely easy. It takes time to learn a new way of life.

In the process, we are acutely aware that we are still suffering the effects of a fallen world, no matter how much our hearts long for the unfallen Kingdom. We encounter the pain and frustration of exile from Eden, from original design, from the image of God we are created to carry. “Creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay,” Paul writes (verse 21), because death and decay are still present. Our loyalties may be clearly on the side of the uncorrupted Kingdom, yet our experience is still mixed. Redemption has been freely given but not completely fulfilled. For now, we still hurt sometimes.

As we reflect on the Cross and Resurrection—the exodus from one citizenship into another—we need to keep resolutely focused on the coming glory. It does not and cannot compare to the pain we face today. We have the promise that the benefits of God’s Kingdom always outweigh the costs, even when the costs are excruciating. Hold on to that promise; it will become extremely precious in times of crisis. You are called to celebrate the revelation of the coming Kingdom long before you see it. Your new citizenship is far more glorious than your old.

PRAYER

Lord, just as Jesus lived from heaven into earth’s realm, may I live from spiritual realities while walking in the visible world. Give me revelations of hope, and fill me with visions of the coming glory. Amen.

REFLECTION

Why is it important to remember that the glory we are promised outweighs the pain we experience? How does focusing on our citizenship in God’s Kingdom change how we live today?