The Passport

           I was born in Michigan City, Indiana and the first name of the doctor that delivered me that day was, “Daniel.” That is where I got my first name. I was named after Dr. Daniel Bernoski. Throughout the rest of my life I was known by a small number of people. One day, we decided to leave the country and spend some time in missionary work and I needed to get a passport. The passport was going to be the proof that I was an American, a member of the United States of America. My wife, myself and our son all got our passports and made sure that we had them in a safe place. They would be stamped when we reached Madrid, Spain and would show that we had entered that country on such and such a date and time. We then went to the American embassy in Madrid to register as citizens of the U. S. A. I began speaking to the official in my broken Spanish and he looked at me and said, “You can speak English here.” They were from the same country. We always kept trace of our passports as it was the proof that we needed to get back to where we came from. Philippians 3:20 says, “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:”

       The word “conversation” here is quite often defined as “citizenship.” The word that is used in this verse is the only reference in the entire New Testament. It is unique in that sense. It shows were our homeland is. While I had a passport for the U. S. A., I don't need one for heaven because God still knows who I am. Only a few people knew me when I boarded the plane for Europe and only they could vouch for my identity and homeland. So, I needed to have a passport. Now, I am a citizen of a different place and I don't need a paper passport with stamps and signatures because God is able to remember all those who are His. If we needed to have something to identify us we can look at the fact that we have been sealed with the Holy Spirit and God knows each and every one who are citizens of heaven. I still possess the paper copy of the little booklet known as my “passport” with its official seal on the cover and the words, “United States of America.” It has expired but I still keep it in my top drawer of keepsakes from my past. There is no expiration date on my passport for heaven as the names all appear in the Lamb's Book of Life. Yes, we have dual citizenship at this point in our lives. Paul went on to say to the Corinthians that we are presently “ambassador's for Christ.” An ambassador represents his king wherever he goes and we are representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ wherever we go. What a privilege we have. How are you doing in your position as ambassadors for the Lord Jesus Christ where you live? Praise God today for the responsibility that he has given to each and every believer.