Nougat 24

Some time ago, I have had occasion to visit an embassy and was struck by the sense of being in the country that the embassy represented. What later struck me was my triple jurisdiction status: I am a Jamaican, was physically stationed in another country, visiting a different country within my host country. As a Jamaican, I represented my country, so much so that whatever I did was used to ‘judge’ Jamaican behavior. (This doesn’t only apply to me, untenable attitudes are points of influence on whether nationals are obliged to get visas, given short stays, etc).

It’s worth noting that I was under my host country‘s governance, and subject to their rules. Despite the rules of my host country, at the embassy I visited, their national laws prevailed in the space. We hardly ever think about it in so many details, but some of us navigate those jurisdictional rules quite easily. And, we also do the same in social spaces. We try to understand the rules in specific social spaces to decide whether our values are compatible. And we may also decide whether to adapt or not to the ways of others.

Whether we have fully understood the nuances of our faith in relation to citizenship in Heaven, or as alternate socialization we know that as believers we are under God’s jurisdiction and rules. It may be different from our prior values or similar to them, but we are definitely under God’s authority. I believe that this is the core takeaway for today’s Holy Nougat. May our lives reflect our spiritual citizenship wherever we go.

“Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.” ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

God bless you.

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May all we seek be found in Christ