SCRIPTURE:
“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior 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, NIV)

OBSERVATION/INTERPRETATIONS:
I asked myself what 5 things do we learn about Jesus Christ?
1. Jesus Christ is from heaven where our citizenship is.
2. Jesus Christ is the Savior from heaven where our citizenship is.
3. Jesus Christ is the Lord from heaven where our citizenship is.
4. Jesus Christ has the power to bring everything under His control.
5. Jesus Christ will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.

INTERPRETATION:
I focused on 'citizenship' and asked myself what does 'citizenship' mean?
What came to my mind is being a citizen of the United States. As a citizen of the United States, we are guaranteed a lot of things that non-citizens are not guaranteed. Usually, if American citizens are held captive or trapped in any country, the United States does all it can to free them except negotiate with terrorists or evil.

Being a citizen is not a one way streak. The citizen pledges to be loyal to the country he decides to be a citizen of. A person can automatically become a citizen of a country if he is born there or go through the process of attaining citizenship.

IMPLICATIONS:
I saw important implications for my own life.  My citizenship in heaven is dependent solely on Christ who will give me access to Heaven because He has become my Lord and Personal Savior and by His power, He will bring everything under his control, transforming my lowly body so that it will be like His glorious body when I surrender my life over to Him!  Amen! Thank you Jesus!

HOW GOSPEL GIVES ME TESTIMONY REGARDING C.I.T.I.Z.E.N.S.H.I.P:
I cannot automatically become a citizen of Heaven regardless of where I am born. I need to be chosen to become a citizen of Heaven and yield my life to the One who chooses. It is a process that began when Jesus Christ paid the ultimate price for my citizenship on the cross of Calvary. Now, when I look to the cross and am covered by His precious blood to justify me by faith, I will be a citizen of Heaven having Jesus Christ as my Lord and Personal Savior. Until I reach Heaven, Jesus will sanctify me daily by His grace transforming me to His likeness. Praise the Lord.

To attain citizenship, I believe in  Jesus Christ and acknowledge Jesus Christ as my Lord and Personal Savior by confessing, repenting of my sins and turning to Him completely. At that moment, I become a citizen of Heaven. There is no criteria that I have to wait so and so time before I could attain citizenship. He saves me by His grace through faith and gives me citizenship! Praise the Lord!

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding." (Ephesians 1:3-8, NIV)

"In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory." (Ephesians 1:11-14, NIV)

As a citizen of Heaven I can enjoy all the blessings the Lord Jesus has in store for me. Once I am a citizen of Heaven, Jesus will take care of me and even when Satan tries to use opportunities to entice me to renounce my citizenship, attacks  me, and tries to terrorize me, I can be confident my Lord and Savior will rescue me as I seek His help.

"But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one." (2 Thess 3:3, NIV)

Since my citizenship is in heaven, it means I am an alien here on earth and just passing through. I should not give my allegiance to any earthly things. It is so awesome to know that our citizenship can be in heaven.

The apostle Peter too reminds followers of Christ not to let their earthly desires control them.

^"Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.  Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us." (1 Peter 2:10-12, NLT)

Though the apostle Paul is in jail and no matter what is happening on earth, I see him reminding the Philippians not to let earthly desires control them but to remember Jesus Christ will come and rescue them. This is evidenced by yesterday's devotional and the conclusion: “And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ…”

This is exciting to know because it lets me know that Heaven is real and Christ resides there. One day, He will come down to earth and rescue us. This is evidenced by “who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so they will be like his glorious body.”

This lets me know that Jesus Christ has the power that enables him to bring everything under his control. So no matter what is happening around me I need to remember that Jesus is in control and not give up. For one day, He will come and rescue us transforming our lowly bodies so they will be like his glorious body! Amen!

"I want you to trust in me in your times of trouble, says the Lord, so that I can rescue you and you can give me the glory!" (Psalm 50:15)

"Since the Lord is directing our steps, why try to understand everything that happens along the way!" (Proverbs 20:24)

I ask you now dear friend, where is your citizenship to serve?
Dear friend, it is so exciting to know that our citizenship can be in Heaven. But, it is not something we attain automatically. We cannot physically be born into it like we can be born in a country and automatically be a citizen of that country. On the contrary, every human being has to attain it. The Good News is it is attainable. Jesus Christ offers us His free gift of Salvation. Receiving Salvation from the Lord Jesus Christ will make us citizens of Heaven. As we become a citizen of Heaven, we will belong to Him. We choose to give our loyalty to the One who resides in Heaven. This means we must not be loyal to earthly things as Paul mentioned in the previous verses. That devotional time I had is called T.E.A.R.S.

There are so many benefits of being a citizen of Heaven and every benefit is outlined and described in the Citizenship Manual of Heaven called the Bible. It also lets us know how to live as citizens of Heaven rather than citizens of earth. As we live as aliens here, we can be sure that Jesus Christ will come one day and take us home to be with Him where we ought to be! He will take our lowly bodies and transform them into Heavenly bodies.

Friend, no matter what you are going through, Jesus loves you so much and wants you to be part of Heaven. He died and came back to save you. No matter what you have done or where you have been, you can attain citizenship as you surrender your life to the Savior.

Never think that you cannot because all of us on our own cannot but while we were yet sinners Jesus died for us. You can come to Jesus as you are and allow Him to transform your life. Oh yes, He will my friend. His love will reach you where you are. When we mess up and turn to Him, He will take care of us.

The amnesty program that Jesus Christ offers is the best program we can take part in. It is by grace through faith that we are saved and not through works so that no man can boast. It is not anything we have done to attain His favor but because He loves us and wants to bestow His favor upon us through His grace so that we can attain this citizenship. We do not need the permission of the President of the United States or congress to attain this citizenship that the Lord Jesus Christ wants to offer. We only need the permission of the One who loved us enough to pay for our citizenship with His precious blood.

"With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever. Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity. Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins." (Hebrews 9:12-14, NLT)

Only citizens of Heaven will be allowed into Heaven. If you are not a citizen of Heaven then there is no entrance. Heaven does not allow any immigrants to get in unless they have accepted the gift of citizenship Christ offers.

This means if a person does not know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Personal Savior, then they cannot be citizens of Heaven according to Scripture.

For Jesus Himself who grants us citizenship says, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no man comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6, NIV)

Friend, won't you accept the citizenship Christ offers you while you live here on earth?

You can do it right now! Now is the time of Salvation! There is no need to wait. You may not have all the answers. No one does but Christ will reveal all the answers to you in His timing and now offers Himself to you to give you a new beginning and hope! It is an everlasting hope!

For only Christ can save others through His pardon, purpose, power, and promises giving others peace. We need to be faithful, available, compatible, and teachable for Jesus to use us to remind others everything Jesus did for them which will be explained in the poem below which was written as if the Lord were talking to you:

Treat of the Savior
By Ramesh C. Reddy

Love to see you in my presence, I am the Holy One
Love you so much, for you I gave my only begotten Son
Believing in Him you will have Eternal Life.
Being delivered from the deadly power of sin’s strife
No matter what the sin virus has done
With my antidote, in life, you can victoriously run
My Son went to the cross to produce it
As His hands and feet, with 3 nails, were pierced with
And his body, for you, was bruised & broken by every hit 
Now for humanity His cleansing blood flowed bit by bit
He died and came back to life to save you from Hell’s pit
Heaven and Hell are real and it is no myth
In Heaven, at my Right Hand, my Son does sit
Jesus is His Name!
For your redemption, He came.
To save you from Hell’s flame
And to give your life a new aim
His antidote of blood can rescue you from sin’s deadly game
But you gotta make a choice whether Satan or Jesus, you pick
Remember all of Satan’s ways are a trick
Jesus wants to deliver you from the sin that makes you so sick
Won’t you accept His free gift of Grace?
Letting His Spirit help you overcome the virus you face?
His grace is what sets you free to win life’s race
His precious cleansing blood will  deliver you from sin’s ways
It is by grace you are saved through faith
Not of any works that you should boast, Jesus saith
You coming to me, Satan does hate
Because Satan is all evil to this date
Upon me He does not want you to wait
For He knows I can deliver you from Hell’s place
And set you on Heaven’s base
Come to me my child
No matter how your life has been wild
For I am gentle and mild
You, with love, joy, & peace I want to treat
And One day in Heaven personally greet
I want to receive you with the power of my love
Giving you Holy Spirit that came upon me like a dove
Sin separated you from me
But my blood was shed to set you free
So together we can once again be
Life with me you gotta experience and see
Though trials and tribulations come, I will be your Key
Whether you are a child, adult, or teen
No matter how your life has been
I want to take you by my side
In my presence, you can abide
For you I came back to life after I died
My love for you is so deep, high, and wide
You are special and precious in my sight
I want to help you in life with all my might
Helping you do what is right
To escape sin’s destructive bite
Now Satan’s ways you can fight
And come into the beautiful Light!
Amen!

May you know Christ is truly in Zion encouraging newness, saving hearts in people!

Make the prayer below your prayer to become a citizen of Heaven!

"Christ Is Truly In Zion Encouraging Newness, Saving Hearts In People!" (C.I.T.I.Z.E.N.S.H.I.P)/”Where is your citizenship to serve?”

PRAYER:
Jesus, you offer us citizenship in Heaven. Thank you so much for that Lord. Lord, I want to be a citizen of Heaven but many times I feel like I am trapped here on earth yielding to fleshly things. I know that is not right and need your help to turn my loyalty over to you. Please Jesus help me for you alone can truly transform my life by Your grace. Thank you Jesus for your help! I confess my sins to you and repent of them. I am so sorry for my sins. Now I turn to you and acknowledge you as my Lord and Personal Savior. I believe that you died and rose again for me to give me Eternal Life as I turn to you. Come Lord Jesus and make your presence known in my life.  Come into my heart and make my heart your home. Live in me Jesus and please help me to live for you and serve you the rest of the days of my life. Thank you for coming into my heart and making my heart your home.  Thank you for forgiving me of all my sins and saving me by your grace. Thank you for making me a citizen of Heaven and I have the citizenship manual of Heaven to read always called the Bible. Thank you for your Word! Thank you for hearing my prayer and answering me! I turn my life over to thee. Thank you Jesus for being there for me! I live my life here on earth for you as you lead me and guide me! Thank you that I am a new creation because you have changed me and will be in me and work through me by the power of the Holy Spirit! In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!

You are my all in all. You are my Prince of Peace, Rock, Savior, and Friend. You are my Holy Father guiding me through to live a life of righteousness, holy righteousness. Oh God, I need you more than ever. I need to feel your hands around me holding me tight. I need your love to surround me so that you can glow in my life. Help me please Jesus. I desire in your presence. Thank you for guiding me to live a life of righteousness. Oh God you love me more than ever. You hear my voice when I cry out to you. When I seek your face, you fill me up. You are my all in all. Thank you Jesus so much for your help no matter what I face, your grace is available and you take my case. Thank you for hearing us and answering us. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! AMEN! (Most of the prayer is from a vineyard song called “All in All”)

You don't have to be locked away anymore for Christ is here to free you and give you peace to LIVE out your actions.

How do you look at GODISNOWHERE?

One of my pastors, Pastor Hugo SHARED this example one Sunday at the RESURRECTION DAY SERVICE in the combined worship service of Pittsburgh Chinese Church-Oakland & Oakland International Fellowship:

If you look at it as GOD IS NO WHERE, you will still be lost in your sin and be in bondage locked away in your sins and problems finding no peace.

But  as my pastor spoke to the congregation and spoke to me, I am here to tell you that GOD IS NOW HERE.

Yes, friend God is aLIVE and wants to bring a transformation in your life through the GRACE of our Lord Jesus Christ for He paid the penalty on the cross to rescue you and me and came back to life to save us and LIVE with us.

Yes, friend that is exciting to know that we can experience HIS SAVING GRACE & LIVING GRACE.

When we mess up, we can go to Jesus with our shortcomings and He will forgive us and RESTORE us to Him and we will find peace in Him.

^"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23, NIV)

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:7-9, NIV)

Friend, we need Jesus because we have been separated from God due to our sin. Because of our sin, Jesus had to pay the price to become our bridge so we can reach God now not of our own good works but because of the finished work of Christ, the Lord on the cross.

"For it is by GRACE you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV)

Come to Jesus as you are and pray this prayer to accept Jesus as your Lord and Personal Savior. He will transform your life around! Praise the Lord! You don't have to have all the answers! You can come as you are!