Philippians 1:27
Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News.
It's our challenge daily to live as citizens of heaven.
In the maelstrom of busy lives, it's so easy to be anchored to our national or even regional identity - I'm more guilty of that than most.
More than that, we are being bombarded with conflicting information and instructions from media and governments, so we need to have our minds immersed in God's truth and His Kingdom in order to see the wood for the trees!
Each day I need to be challenged in my outlook and behaviour afresh - am I measuring up? Am I allowing God to do His transforming work by the Holy Spirit's power?
Romans 12:2 Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
The world is lost, struggling for direction, being tossed about and confounded by each new disaster be it man made or natural.
As Christ's followers, our challenge is to offer hope in the midst of despair.
Challenging times indeed, may Jesus empower us to step up to the plate!
(The idiom step up to the plate is derived from the American sport of baseball. Home plate is the beginning position in baseball, designated by a flat marker known as home plate. The batter literally steps up to the plate in a designated area in order to swing at the pitched ball.)
Let's swing our "bat" boldly against the "balls" of turmoil and trouble that are being pitched at us until we make our "home run"!
Everyone who competes in the games trains with strict discipline. They do it for a crown that is perishable, but we do it for a crown that is imperishable.
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