Ahh.....This is lovely, and freeing..........Be Blessed Everyone !!
 

                           "Citizens  of Heaven"
                            by Victoria Boyson
                           Victoria Boyson, Inc.
                               www.boyson.org
                              info@boyson.org
 

In  the last days the body of Christ will become one with Christ. Just as a
bride has  her eyes fixed on her bridegroom, we will see and live only for
our Lord. And our  passion for Him will draw us together as one body. We
will truly become one in the  Spirit together with our Lord. Indeed, we
will become the bride of Christ, as our  passion for Him increases.

Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; their minds are on earthly
things.  But our citizenship is in heaven (see Philippians 3:18-20).

Paul wrote to the Philippian church of a dilemma he was having: a conflict
of interests  between the longing in his heart and the reasoning of his
mind. He told them, "To live is Christ and to die is gain" (Philippians
1:21). He was torn between his desire to live and remain on this earth to
serve  Christ and his desire to be with Christ.

"If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful  labor for
me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two:  I
desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better; but it is more
necessary  for you that I remain in the body" (Philippians 1:22-24).

He had so positioned himself in Christ in the spirit realm that his heart
was charged  with a deep longing to be with Him in heaven. He wanted to be
with the One he loved,  and yet it was for the One he loved that he
remained on earth. To serve the cause  of Christ and the kingdom of heaven,
he had to stay on earth.
 

Kingdom Minded

Yet, while serving Christ on earth, Paul knew that his citizenship was in
heaven.  He lived his earthly life for heavenly purposes. His mind was not
set on what he  could gain for this life, but in the next. He knew that the
real prize was in living  his life to build for the eternal kingdom, to
which, though on earth, he belonged.  He was kingdom minded; his mind was
set on the eternal kingdom of God.

His heart was set on the things to come, not on the things of this earth
(see Colossians  3:2). His heart was with his King. He aspired to please
the One he loved, whether  in life or in death: "So that now as always
Christ will  be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death"
(Philippians 1:20).

Paul's love for his Lord spurned him on to plant the seed of Christ in the
hearts  of others, as many as would receive. He lived his life not for
himself, but to proclaim  the life of Jesus. It was for the advancement of
the kingdom of Christ that he lived,  laying down his own ambitions and
desires for that of his King. His life was poured  out so that others would
receive Jesus.
 

A Higher Purpose

A life of sacrifice lived for the Lamb of God is a life profoundly lived.
To lay  down our lives out of passion for our Lord is to live a life of
elevated intensity  and with great purpose.

To live for Jesus makes us resolute and unstoppable. We are not living for
ourselves,  but for a much higher purpose. That is why, in noble
gentleness, we do all for the  sake of the King of heaven. Any battle we
face, we fight, not for ourselves, but  for Him.

When our eyes are fixed on our King, we will fear nothing. The love we have
for  Him overcomes any fears we may face. And like a good soldier who
readies himself  for battle by reminding himself of what he is fighting
for, we must focus on Who  we are fighting for. We fight not for earthly
gain, but for an eternal cause. We  fight for the One we love: the King of
heaven.

This is not an oppressive task; it is liberating! We can live free now. We
can live  free from fear and the need for competition with one another. We
can live free from  jealousy, for we are all working for the same cause and
have the same goals. And  if our brother succeeds in edifying the kingdom,
then we should be overjoyed for  him. When he succeeds we all succeed, for
we are one in Christ.

A good soldier does not fight against his fellow soldier to become a
greater hero  than his friend, but he fights for and with his fellow
soldiers to build them up  so that the cause they are fighting for will be
helped. We are to build up one another  so that the body of Christ as a
whole can work in unison with one another for the  glory of our King.
 

Champions in Christ

If we live and operate in this earthly realm, being earthly minded, we are
playing  by its rules and we will lose. We have no authority to operate
with a worldly mind  set, therefore we become its victim and lose our
victory.

However, if we live according to the heavenly realm, with our minds fixed
on Jesus,  we walk in the victory that He gave us, and we operate in the
level of authority  Christ did. We are then living by the rules of heaven
and, by the authority of heaven,  we are made victorious through Christ's
victory. "And having  disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public
spectacle of them, triumphing  over them by the cross" (Colossians 2:15).

For we have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power
and  authority (see Colossians 2:10), and Christ is the fullness of God on
earth (see  Colossians 2:9). If we live in Christ, we live in the victory
He won for us at Calvary;  we are made champions of the earth; we truly
become the head and not the tail. You  are the richness of God when you
walk in Christ!

As we walk in the victory and authority of Christ we become unstoppable! So
we must  focus on Christ, and live in Him: "Since, then, you have  been
raised with Christ, set your heart on things above, where Christ is seated
at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly
things" (Colossians 3:1-2).

If we, who are set apart for Christ, live according to the rules of this
earthly  realm, we are nothing according to its standards and have little
power to influence  it. But if we live our lives for the kingdom of heaven,
we are heirs to the promises  of God and seated with God in Christ (see
Ephesians 2:6).

"For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ  in God" (Colossians
3:3). Our life is Christ; we live in Him, and it  is only by living in Him
that we can truly live. You are no longer who you once  were, but you have
been made a new creation in Christ, and you are hidden with Him  in God.
Your life outside of God is no longer congenial; now you live only in Him.
 

Heirs with Christ

" . . . giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified  us to share in the
inheritance of the saints of Light. For He delivered 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 1:12-13

We have become a part of the kingdom of the Son, and God has qualified us
to share  in the inheritance of that kingdom. It is only through becoming a
part of His kingdom  that we will walk in the authority He did. As we are
united with Christ, we walk  in His authority as His bride.

As a bride takes her husband's name, she becomes a new person; she assumes
His name  and whatever honor and authority that goes with it. So it is with
the Bride of Christ.  We must assume our place by His side and reign with
Him, ruling with the authority  He has given us.

We must become His passionate bride driven by an all-consuming passion for
our Lord.  Our greatest desire must be to be one with Him. Driven by love
for our King, our  lives will be consumed by Him and only then can we truly
live.

Beloved, let us become one with Jesus and see our burning passion for Him
ignite  the world!
 

Victoria Boyson