Heaven Is My Home – Family Devotion – March 16, 2022

Read: Philippians 3:17-4:1

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!
Philippians 3:20-4:1

Heaven Is My Home

 

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

For college basketball fans, this is the most exciting time of the year: March Madness. By the morning of March 17, a field of 64 teams will be set and the games will begin. Can you imagine what it would be like if you knew before the tournament started that your favorite team was going to win it all? Their best player could be injured, and they could be down by 20 points at halftime, but it wouldn’t matter because you knew for certain they would be crowned the champions in the end.

Today Paul is confident we can have something much more important than winning a basketball tournament. It’s citizenship in heaven. Most countries insist that you give up your former citizenship before taking up a new one. As Christians we have two places we call home. While we live on earth, our future home is in heaven. This means our homes and time here on earth are just momentary because our true home is in heaven where we will live forever.

We can be sure of our home in heaven because Jesus carried his cross to save us from our sins and gave us the gift of faith. Even though we suffer challenges because of our faith, we are wise to listen to Paul’s encouragement to “stand firm in the Lord.”

There is no easy way to avoid these challenges. Crosses will be a part of life while in our home on earth. We can find joy in them because we know that Jesus is working them for our good. He uses them to draw us closer to his side and to turn our focus away from the things of this world and back to him.

We can find contentment in any situation because we know that when Jesus returns, he will take us to be with him in heaven. Our bodies will be transformed, and there will be no more pain or suffering. Until we receive our crown in heaven, we ask Jesus to give us the strength and determination to take up our cross and follow him.

Closing Prayer:

Lord Jesus, we ask that you give us the strength to stand firm as we face crosses here on earth. Thank you for being willing to die on the cross to save us from our sins so that one day we might receive our crown in heaven. Amen.

The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire.

Questions for Younger Children

• What do you like most about your home?
• Where will you live forever one day because of Jesus?

Questions for Elementary Age Children

• What city and state are you a citizen of?
• What does Paul mean when he says we are citizens of heaven?

Questions for Middle School and Above

• Give an example of a cross that you might face as a citizen on earth.
• How does knowing Jesus already won you victory in heaven help you deal with the crosses you face on earth?