DAILY DEVOTION: "Being a Good Citizen"

Day 32: Being a “Good” Citizen

Scripture: (Philippians 1:27(A) (NLT)) Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ.. 

Author: Aidan Williams

As Americans, we are taught to pursue the American Dream—to chase a high-achieving life and be a good citizen. While there’s certainly nothing wrong with the underlying concepts of hard work and civic participation, if left unchecked, being a “good citizen” in America can quickly devolve into a life of self-absorption, greed, and divisiveness.

Paul admonished the Philippians, who, like Americans, lived in a rich, civic-minded society. Philippi was a colony described as a “mini-Rome” for its patriotic inhabitants who were devoted to their civic status. Undoubtedly, the Christians at Philippi struggled with many of our own temptations, such as materialism and self-promotion.

Paul was keenly aware of the Philippians’ civic mindedness in their privileged community, so he used this very terminology to demonstrate how they should reprioritize their lives as “citizens” and focus on their new body politic: the Kingdom of God. In Philippians 1:27, Paul urges us to “politeuesthe,” meaning to live as citizens “in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ,” so that we, as Christians, can be of “one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.” This Christian citizenship of unity (Phil. 1:27; 2:2), selfless humility (Phil. 2:3-8), and contentment (Phil. 2:14; 4:11) will set us apart to from the “crooked and perverse” ways of our old kingdom of sin.

When we accepted Christ as Savior, “He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” COLOSSIANS 1:13-14 (NASB). As eternal citizens of God’s kingdom, we also have the awesome responsibility here on earth to co-labor with the Holy Spirit to “work out [our] salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in [us], both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”

Prayer Prompt:

As I ponder what it means to be a “good citizen,” Lord, help me to steward my Christian citizenship chiefly among any other citizenships that I might hold, so that in so doing, I may better “set [my] mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth” (Col. 3:2) and that “where my treasure is, there [may my] heart [ ] be also” (Matt. 6:21). Thank You, Lord, for the privilege it is to be a citizen of Your Kingdom and may I “work out my salvation” in a manner that corresponds to Your will.