“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,” Philippians 3:20  

You can’t make this stuff up! Just today Chelsea and I were talking about our rights as Americans. We were listening to a teaching that talked about this topic. Then we read Genesis 26. Notice this with me if you will:   

First the Lord tells Isaac this, “Then the LORD appeared to him and said: “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you. Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father.” Genesis 26:2-3  

Shortly after we see that the Lord prospers Isaac, “Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the LORD blessed him. The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous;” Genesis 26:12-13   

In turn the Philistines envy Isaac and ask him to leave the land, “And Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we.”” Genesis 26:16  

Isaac doesn’t demand his rights from the Lord saying, “God has given me this land”. We even see him moving a distance from that area to the Valley of Gerar, again having issues with the people in that area.   

At last, Abimelech, King of the Philistines comes to make an oath with Isaac. Isaac doesn’t speak on his position with the Lord.   

Any of these times Isaac could have spoken about his rights or what he deserved. He could have not left and went to war against them, even potentially winning that war. Abimelech recognized his strength and the blessing of the Lord on him, but Isaac trusted the Lord, resting in the truth of what the Lord had proclaimed.   

Remember, being born again means you are now a child of God. Your citizenship is in heaven. Do people recognize you are a child of God? Do people see that you are on a mission from the Lord? Let your heavenly citizenship be what guides how you in how you respond to people and situations.   

- To Know Jesus. To Live on Mission.