Pledge allegiance to the Lamb
Philippians 3:20–21 (NKJV)
For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.
Through faith in Jesus Christ we have become citizens of His kingdom, a kingdom without end. It is to the King of that kingdom that we should daily give our service, submission and allegiance.
Here is a good question: "Who and what are you pledging your allegiance to today?"
Staying with the American theme from yesterday, another ceremony that Americans have had for many years is one of pledging allegiance to flag and country. This ceremony, which is now also carried out in the UK, happens when someone comes to America from another nation and purposes in his or her heart to make the new nation their homeland or place of residence.
After the process of application and immigration a special ceremony takes place where you stand before the flag and, raising your right hand, pledge your allegiance to the nation of America. These days Americans can hold dual nationality with another nation but when it was first instituted you could not, you had to choose one nation or the other. You would stand and renounce your allegiance to the kingdom you came from, thereby disassociating yourself from it, and then pledge allegiance to the one you desired now to be a part of.
Spiritually this is exactly what happened to us at salvation. We all came from another kingdom (kingdom of darkness) into a new kingdom, the Kingdom of the Son of His love. We too are called to renounce the governing rule and influence of our former spiritual citizenship (darkness) to adopt and submit to the governing rule of the new one (light). It is when we do not do this with an absolute heart that we get into a lot of trouble with things like compromise. The fact is, we are called to now be citizens of God's kingdom, pledging our lifelong allegiance to the King of that kingdom: Jesus, the Lamb of God.
As we do, we walk away from autonomous, self-governing rebellion and walk into into citizenship of total dependence upon God. We become as Adam originally was, reliant on our God for all we need. That may sound a scary place but it is actually the safest place of all.
Bless you,
Andy
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