975) I have had the privilege of visiting and working in ten foreign countries. Being an American citizen either improved my visit or made it worse. Some countries consider Americans as an opportunity to benefit financially. Others pondered the idea that maybe we could carry contraband into the U.S. As a teen, the adults that accompanied me warned that in one of these ten countries, nationals may seek me out to form a bond and perhaps earn a Green Card into the U.S. And, one country was utterly disgusted with us and it was obvious.

In Acts 22, the Jews of Jerusalem dislike Paul for many reasons. One of the main ones was that he ministered to the Gentiles. They were so angry at this that the crowd became a mob of riotous people. The leaders helped calm the crowd by ordering that Paul be flogged. Right before this happened, Paul told them he was a citizen of Rome and they had better rethink this. Immediately, the commander ordered a halt.

Just as Paul was a citizen of Rome and we are citizens of our countries, Christians are also citizens of heaven. Perhaps if we would remember this, we might walk through life with more confidence knowing that our leader has everything under control.