But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. (Philippians 3:20)

I’ve been fascinated with Arnold Schwarzenegger since I first watched him star in all those cheesy 80s action movies. His entire life story, from coming to America as a bodybuilder to becoming governor of California, sounds as if it had been written by Hollywood screenwriters. It seems like everything he ever wanted to experience he found a way to make happen—no matter how grandiose it seemed at the time.

Needless to say, when his autobiography, Total Recall, came out I was super excited to read it. One of the things that fascinated me the most in his story was how meaningful it was for him to finally gain US citizenship:

“As long as I live, I will never forget that day 21 years ago when I raised my hand and took the oath of citizenship. Do you know how proud I was? I was so proud that I walked around with an American flag around my shoulders all day long.”

Arnold had won the Mr. Olympia competition a record-setting seven times, starred in major blockbuster movies, and built a fortune as a real-estate mogul. Yet even with all of those experiences, one of the proudest moments of his life was the day he finally became a citizen of the United States of America.

For someone like me who was born in America, I don’t spend a lot of time considering what my citizenship means for me. I’ve been entitled to all the rights, privileges, and benefits that come from being an American my entire life. I’ve never known any other way. For someone like Arnold however, they’ve experienced what it’s like to be on the outside looking in. They’ve known what it’s like to live in other countries—for better or worse, or to live within the United States as a non-resident.

The moment someone gains US citizenship, they instantly receive all the rights that come with that. In Arnold’s case, he now could vote in US elections, receive access to public benefits, and hold certain government jobs (such as governor). In addition, any children he had as a US citizen (or any children he adopted from a foreign country) would be considered full US citizens as well.

In the same way, the moment you put your faith in Christ, God adopts you as His child. You become a citizen of heaven, instantly receiving all the rights, privileges, and benefits that come with it. Your earthly citizenship may still be in America, France, Nigeria, or some other country, but your eternal citizenship will forever be in God’s Kingdom.

On that day when you finally reach the gates of heaven, God will look at your passport, see that Jesus has already stamped it, and say to you “Welcome home, child.”

For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! (Ephesians 5:8)

Have you ever tried to stop light from spreading?

Perhaps you’ve put your hand over a flashlight in a dark room, but the light still spilled out around your fingers, causing them to glow pink in the thinner spots.

You could always try putting a bucket over the flashlight, but would the light really be gone? Not at all. The inside of that bucket would still be lit up even if you couldn’t see it from the outside.

The light of Christ has this same effect within you. You used to be full of darkness, but now that you are in Christ, His light is illuminating your heart and giving life to your soul. Whether you can see it or not, it’s there. And nothing will ever be able to shut it off.

However, just like the flashlight, it’s up to you whether you share it with others. You can keep it hidden, or you can allow it to shine on those around you. Jesus made it pretty clear what He is hoping you will choose:

No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father (Matthew 5:15-16).

So don’t hide God’s light. Let it shine! Love others with the love of Christ. Offer the same grace and forgiveness that He offered you.

Be a beacon of hope for those who are still wandering in the darkness.

After all, isn’t that what it means to live as people of light?

 Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence (Ephesians 3:12).

I don’t know what it is about the waiting rooms in doctors’ offices, but it seems they all come with a stack of outdated People magazines. Apparently, the best way to calm people’s minds before their impending colonoscopy is to offer them reading material about the secret lives of celebrities.

As I thumbed through a few issues (you know…for science!), I got to see photos of George Clooney’s fancy new estate in the Italian Riviera. Then there was an entire story updating everyone on the status of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s marriage. And, of course, there were multiple pictures of celebrities doing such exciting things as grocery shopping and even walking along the beach with their kids.

None of these photos looked to be welcomed or endorsed by the celebrities. Rather, they were all taken from far away with a telephoto lens. In fact, some of these celebrities have made it quite clear that they don’t want such intrusions in their private lives. According to the story on George Clooney, he made an agreement with the local police to fine anyone who ventures too close to his house with a camera. I think it’s safe to say that most people are not welcome into the presence of famous people.

Now, I understand not wanting the paparazzi to follow you around spying on you everywhere you go. I’m not saying these celebrities are wrong at all for desiring to maintain some sort of private life in spite of the media intruding on them constantly. If someone started taking pictures of my family for TMZ, you can bet that I would surely respond the same way.

Imagine though, if George Clooney and Kim Kardashian have such a problem with people trying to gain access to them that they need to separate themselves through legal boundaries, how much more attention does God receive from everyone trying to get to Him? You would think if anyone was going to wall themselves off from the hordes of fans and followers trying to get too close, it would be God.

In one sense, that is how it used to be. Prior to the cross, there was a thick curtain separating the room where God dwelled (the Holy of Holies) from the rest of the temple—and from the world. If anyone other than the high priest dared to go behind this curtain into God’s presence, they would have died instantly. This was such a serious deal that even the high priest had to go through a ceremonial cleansing process to make sure his sins had all been removed before entering. In addition, the other priests would tie a bell and a rope around his ankle. If the bell went silent, it meant the high priest had died and his corpse would need to be dragged out from behind the curtain. This may all seem harsh, but it’s the reality of what happens to an unrighteous person who enters into the presence of God’s holiness.

God, however, wanted to make a way for us to become welcome in His presence, and He had a plan to solve the problem. He sent Jesus to pay for our sins with His death, which immediately tore the temple curtain in two, proving to us that the separation is now gone. We’ve been invited into God’s presence.

The moment you became unified with Christ, you were made holy and righteous because of your faith in Him. It’s as if you were transformed into the same position as the high priest, only now you’ve been purified permanently. You can be so sure of this, that you don’t even need to tie a bell on your ankle. Thanks to Jesus, you can now come into God’s presence with boldness and confidence, any time you wish.