Read Philippians 1:27-30 in your personal Bible or at the link provided.
Discover
Last week we looked at Paul’s words in Philippians 1:21: “To live is Christ and to die is gain.” This week’s passage drills down on what it means to live. Paul kicks it off by talking about citizenship. During the time this letter was written, Philippi was a Roman colony, and the Philippians were proud to be Roman citizens. It’s what they pledged their lives to, and it shaped how they lived. Paul emphasized that their true citizenship is in heaven, and that should change how they live.
Many of us know the right things. We know what the Bible says, and we know this world isn’t our home. But it’s easy to say we’re a Christian yet live as a citizen of the world. Words without action don’t shape or change the way we live.
If we’re citizens of heaven, we need to act like it. We need to look to Jesus as our model of behavior, not the world.
• Live as a citizen of heaven. Take an inventory of your behavior patterns. In the things you say or do on a regular basis, do you see a pattern of living as a citizen of the world or as a citizen of heaven? What could you do to begin aligning your actions to your citizenship as a follower of Jesus?
Respond
Use your Philippians Guidebook to reflect and respond. For a digital copy of the guidebook, visit tpcc.org/rebels-guide.
Want to go deeper? Look up the following verses to see what Paul said elsewhere about the difference between living as a citizen of the world vs. a citizen of heaven. How did he distinguish between the two ways of living? Note what you observe and then continue with your time of response.
• Galatians 5:16-26