Give Hope

Big Point: In Christ, we are people of this world and people of heaven.  When we’re looking for it, every day we encounter reasons why we can be grateful to be American citizens, but how often do we thank God, and have pride in being citizens of heaven? We have dual citizenship as followers of Christ, which also gives us...
a dual reality and a great hope.

We may have never even thought of it that way, but the fact is, we live in several different experiences at once. For instance, not only are we someone’s child, we may also be someone’s mother or father, aunt or uncle simultaneously. We are friends and we may also be married as well. We are citizens of this world and therefore face all the conditions and realities of it, but God has also offered us citizenship in heaven through Jesus.

In our December memory verse, Paul talks about the blessing of this citizenship and the hope it brings. We are God’s children, brothers and sisters of Jesus! That reality can radically impact our lives. Even though we are bombarded by the intricacies of our world, we also have the peace of knowing that we are dual citizens and that our heavenly goal is ahead of us. We can be excited about that citizenship because it’s eternal and gives us tremendous focus on preparing for Jesus’ return. It’s in that reality that we can grow, give hope, forgive, give grace and give back to our fellow citizens, knowing that for now, home is a frame of mind, not a place and time, and that one day we will be home for good.

READ IT… What does the Bible say?

December Memory Verse

Philippians 3:20 (New Living Translation)

But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.

Question: What are three things that give hope in this verse?

Answer:

BELIEVE IT… What is the lesson for me?

True or False: I feel like a citizen of heaven as much as I feel like an American.

LIVE IT… What will I do now?

In light of the all the principles of giving we’ve discussed this week, including how we are given dual citizenship both here and in heaven through Christ, what could you do to give that same hope in Jesus to the people around you? List some practical steps here and choose one to do this weekend:

PRAY… Thank your Heavenly Father for offering you citizenship in heaven. Praise Him for sending Jesus to our home so that we can ultimately spend eternity with him. Thank Him for His grace and forgiveness when you get caught up in the realities of this world and forget that you are not yet home.