Marissa Henley

Encouraging weary women to hope in Christ alone

Our Citizenship is in Heaven {No Matter What Monday}

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“Where are you from?”

During the first year my husband and I lived in Indianapolis, I heard this question more than any other. It often came up even if my new acquaintance didn’t know I’d moved recently. After 24 years of living in the South, my accent sounded strange in the Midwest. There was no hiding the fact that I was a transplant—my Southern accent gave me away instantly. I wasn’t a Midwesterner. I was from somewhere different.

If you are in Christ, you should stick out in this world just like a Southern girl saying “y’all” in Indiana. You aren’t from around here. At your core, you’re not an Arkansan or a Texan or a Hoosier or even an American.  Even though you’re residing on Earth, you’re a Heavener. (I think I just made up a word!) Your citizenship is in heaven, because your life is hidden with Christ, and that’s where He is (see Colossians 3:3).

But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. (Philippians 3:20-21)

Because you’re a Heavener, you have something wonderful to look forward to. Remember how Jesus gave up His glorious existence with the Father to take on a breakable human body? The opposite will be true of you someday. You will trade your broken, frail body for a glorious body like His. And you will watch as your Savior returns to show His authority and victory over all.

No matter what you face this week, our citizenship is in Heaven.

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God Knows All Things {No Matter What Monday}

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When my dad was five years old, he told his mom: “I can write my name and tie my shoes and count to ten. I won’t have to go to school, will I?” When he got to kindergarten, he found he had more to learn. He spent the next 21 years going to school!

 

No matter how many decades we spend in school, our knowledge remains incomplete. My dad is really smart, but there are certain tasks I wouldn’t trust him to do. If you need someone to solve a differential equation, sing bass in your choir, or whip up a fantastic pot of baked beans, he’s your guy. But if you ask him to frame your new house or cut your child’s hair or perform your hip replacement surgery, you will regret it. Some jobs are beyond the scope of my dad’s understanding.

 

But my heavenly Father knows it all. He knows every person, animal, plant, pebble, galaxy and atom in this universe. He knows every detail about every subject from astronomy to zoology. He knows every event from eternity past to eternity future. Nothing is beyond the scope of His infinite knowledge.

 

Psalm 147:5: Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.

 

He’s not just all-knowing; He is good. He uses His immeasurable knowledge for the good of those He loves. We can trust our unknown future to the One who knows all things. He’s not going to get it wrong, because all His decisions are informed by His complete knowledge.

 

No matter what we face this week, we can trust the One who knows all things.

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The Lord Reigns Over the Nations {No Matter What Monday}

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The first presidential election I remember is the 1980 election. I was barely 4 years old, but I remember seeing Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan shaking hands. I understood there had been a change in leadership of our nation. And my peace-loving preschool mind believed that President Carter and President Reagan were buddies. I assumed President Carter was tired of being president, so he let his friend have a turn. Every good preschooler knows about taking turns!

But of course, that’s not how politics works. Rather than being kind to each other, as our preschool teachers taught us, we spew anger and hate, not only at the candidates, but at brothers and sisters in Christ who don’t share our political leanings. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for this election to be over.

Maybe the future of our nation is weighing heavily on your mind, too. Or maybe your personal struggles consume your thoughts, leaving little room for national issues. Either way, I hope today’s Scripture encourages you:

“For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm! God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne” (Psalm 47:7-8).

Our King reigns. He sits on His holy and eternal throne, ruling over the earth and over your life. Nothing in this universe is beyond His sovereign control. He reigns over the leaders of the nations and over each and every detail of your life.

Not one vote, not one cell, not one gust of wind in this world are beyond His control.

Here’s more good news: the one who reigns is not only your King, He is your Father. He loves you and cares for you. We can face our future without fear, because the One who rules the nations cares for us.

No matter what you face this week, your Heavenly Father reigns over the nations.

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