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Thursday, January 10, 2008

Dual Citizenship

En route to the mid-week Bible study in Penrose yesterday I ran into a nasty snowstorm. Visibility was poor and the highway through the foothills of the Rocky Mountains was becoming as slick as hair lotion on a bald head. At the mid-point between home and Penrose I received a call on my cell phone from one of the leaders of the church in Penrose. He had heard about the bad driving conditions and advised me to return home.
As soon as I could safely turn around, I did, and I returned to clear skies over Colorado Springs. I learned later clear skies graced Penrose as well. I had simply driven into a narrow band of snow along a highway known for a high rate of accidents even in good weather.
I had been unable to attend mid-week Bible study, but yesterday’s mail alerted me to a February 5 appointment I had better keep. I have been selected for jury duty that day.
Mid-week Bible study and jury duty may seem incongruent, but the two events indicate clearly that the Christian holds dual citizenship. Every Christian is a citizen of heaven and a citizen on earth. The former constrains us to love and obey God. The latter constrains us to love our country and obey its laws. If we are so heavenly minded we are no earthly good, we need to adjust our halos for hard hats and put our faith to work.
Jesus admonished His followers to let their light shine in the world so our fellow human beings would see their good works and glorify their heavenly Father (Matthew 5:16). Perhaps in some way a positive response to jury duty will help at least one person to consider his or her relationship to the Righteous Judge, our Savior.

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