Kingdom Citizenship

"'They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.'" John 17:16-17 NIV

In these verses, Jesus is praying for His disciples. I love them because they show us where our true citizenship lies. We are simply taking up residence in the world, but we truly belong to heaven. We have a hard time with living in this mindset because of the demands this world places on us and because of our selfish nature.
      Sin is our selfishness acted out. It shows us where our hearts and loyalty truly lie.
      God has a way of making our lessons relatable and timely for others. Yesterday, one of my friends spoke to me about feeling dissatisfied and discouraged with where she is and what she has accomplished since being saved. I shared with her the things I had been taught this week on the same subject. I could tell it didn't really help her much though. I knew there wasn't really anything more I could do to make her feel better so I prayed for God to speak to her.
      A little bit later, God spoke to me on both our situations. He told me that we were struggling because we were trying to fit worldly living into kingdom living.
      Jesus was a carpenter. He wasn't rich and He didn't have an easy life. I knew Christianity wouldn't be easy. I knew what I was signing up for, but I thought I was an exception. Actually, He showed me yesterday that that wasn't it. He pointed out that I thought I could make my plans holy. But, that's impossible. Only His plans can glorify Him. If I do things out of His heart, I can honor Him, but the truth is I was thinking from a selfish heart. That's far from Him.
      We make great goals to be successful, recognized, and accomplished in the world, but rarely do we make kingdom goals. We feel like failures or as inadequate because we're trying to measure ourselves up to worldly achievement, but if we are following God's plans, then they often won't align. We need to learn to measure ourselves up to kingdom standards. The world is about gain, but the kingdom is about giving. It's easy to see how we can't satisfy both at the same time.
      We are not of the world, we are of the kingdom. Looking at the world will not help us comprehend that or what it means. It only confuses us. Jesus knew that and that's why He asked God to sanctify us by the truth. We have to look to the Word in order to be purified and to learn the standards for kingdom citizenship. It is a far different lifestyle because our motivations are different.
      It's time to start making kingdom goals. Once we start doing that, we will be able to be confident in where God is leading us. We will finally see how far we have come and how much we have accomplished. We will become more satisfied with God's plan when we align our hearts and desires with His because it will show us that we are indeed moving forward.
      What can you do for the kingdom?
      What are your goals?