Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ… that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel.
Philippians 1:27
What a tremendous verse. The first section is translated in the KJV as, ‘Only let your conversation be as it becometh of the gospel of Christ.’ The word that has been translated as manner of life/conversation is politeuomai (πολιτεύομαι) which means ‘to behave as a citizen’. Strong’s concordance puts it as, ‘conduct as in accordance with the characteristics of the heavenly community’.
Citizenship is so important to a lot of people and you only have to watch the Olympic games to see the reality of this. Individuals who are proud to represent their country and who want their country to be proud of them.
As Christians, we are citizens of the kingdom of God and we belong to a heavenly community. So, our manner of life and our conversation should be becoming of our citizenship. Our behaviour should always be a worthy reflection of the good news of Jesus Christ and the work of the cross. We should be proud to represent the kingdom of God, not shy away from it or try to hide it. Being proud means to never be ashamed of the gospel of Christ but to stand firm in its truth.
Think today about your manner of life and your conversation and what it means to be a heavenly citizen here on earth.
Narrow Path Ministries 