Surprise — You Are an Alien!
Living Here While Belonging Somewhere Else
1 Peter 2:11 (NASB 1995) — “Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.”
Opening Reflection
No, not that kind of alien! Peter isn't suggesting that followers of Jesus are visitors from another planet. But he is telling us something about ourselves that may be just as startling: if you belong to Jesus Christ, you are living in a world that is not ultimately your home. Peter calls believers “aliens and strangers,” and Paul explains why: “But our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20). We live here. We work here. We build homes, love our families, enjoy God's blessings, make plans, and participate in our communities. Yet followers of Jesus must never become so comfortable here that we forget where we ultimately belong. Our deepest identity, allegiance, hope, and future are found in Jesus Christ and His Kingdom. We live here, but we belong somewhere else.
Taking a Devotional View
If we belong somewhere else, it should not surprise us that following Jesus causes us to live differently from the world around us. Peter connects our identity as “aliens and strangers” directly to the way we live. Romans 12:2 tells us, “Do not be conformed to this world.” Yet the world constantly invites us to adopt its priorities—to pursue what it pursues, value what it values, fear what it fears, and place our hope where it places its hope. Citizens of heaven live under the authority of a different King. Our lives should increasingly reflect the character of Jesus—His holiness, compassion, generosity, forgiveness, humility, truth, and love. We don't live differently merely for the sake of being different. We live differently because we are following Someone the world is not following.
But being aliens in this world does not mean withdrawing from it. Jesus prayed concerning His followers, “I do not ask that you take them out of the world” (John 17:15), and then said, “As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world” (John 17:18). Think about what that means: we are foreigners on assignment. God has deliberately placed us among people who need to see what life under the rule of King Jesus looks like. We don't belong to this world, so we shouldn't look exactly like this world. But Jesus has intentionally left us in this world so that through us, the world might see Him. The question, then, isn't simply, “Do I know where my true home is?” The more searching question is, “Does the way I live here give any evidence that somewhere else is my home?”
Key Thoughts & Takeaways
Key Thoughts
- We live here, but we belong somewhere else. Our ultimate citizenship, identity, allegiance, hope, and future are found in Jesus Christ and His Kingdom.
- Our citizenship should affect the way we live. Citizens of heaven should increasingly reflect the values and character of their King rather than simply conforming to the world around them.
- We are foreigners on assignment. Jesus has not removed us from the world. He has sent us into it so that others might see His love, grace, holiness, truth, and hope through us.
Ask Yourself
- Have I become so comfortable in this world that I rarely think about where my true citizenship lies?
- Are there values or priorities of this world that I have accepted without comparing them to the values of Christ's Kingdom?
- If someone watched the way I use my time, money, words, relationships, and opportunities, would they see evidence that my allegiance belongs to Jesus?
- Am I merely trying to avoid the world's influence, or am I allowing Jesus to use my life to influence the world around me?
- Does the way I live here give any evidence that somewhere else is my home?
Father, remind me that although I live in this world, my citizenship is with You. Keep me from becoming so comfortable here that I begin to adopt the values and priorities of a world that does not know You. Shape my life to increasingly reflect the character of Jesus, and help me remember that You have placed me here for a purpose. May the way I live, love, speak, give, forgive, and serve make it evident that I belong to another Kingdom and another King. Amen.