Citizenship

We often forget where our true citizenship lies and who is the true "Father of our Country." We are aliens in a foreign country, ambassadors from a distinctly different kingdom, sojourners passing through. "Christian" and "American" are not synonyms. If we fall in love with the temporary country in which we now live, if we love the world and the things in the world, we cannot love our Father.
That does not mean, however, that I have no earthly responsibilities to my earthly country. Paul, in Romans 13, gives us four of them. (And keep in mind that Paul was talking about a empire decidedly anti-Christianity, and an empire that would one day execute him for his faith.) He first tells us to be in subjection to the ones in authority over us. They cannot do the things God has called them to do without our support. We are the pillars that hold them up as God's servants--which they are, even if they don't acknowledge it. They cannot do the things God expects them to do--encourage those who do good, put fear in the heart of those who contemplate evil, and wield the sword against those who choose to practice evil anyway, without our support. And, yes, God will hold them accountable for how well they fulfill those responsibilities. But that's His business, not mine.
The second thing I must do is do good. I must live a life that demonstrates righteousness. I must be the light and salt of my country. Although I cannot keep it from the inevitable, natural tendency toward moral decay that affects every culture, I can slow down the process, delay God's judgment, and, most importantly, continue to shine in a dark world. And as the culture becomes darker will the light be more or less noticeable, more or less attractive to those who are really seeking the Light of the World?
The third thing I must do is provide for my country the resources it needs to fulfill its responsibilities. If those resources are financial, I am commanded to pay my taxes. If those "resources" are right attitudes--honor and respect--I must pay those as well. What they do with the taxes is their responsibility before God. They are due the honor and respect, not because we think they deserve it, but because they are God's appointees--His servants.
The final thing I must do is love my neighbor as Christ loves me. I owe a debt of love to my Savior, and I "repay" it by loving those who live in my community. Grace means there is nothing I have to earn. It does not mean there is nothing I have to do. I cannot love the Lord my God with with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength without loving the people He has "assigned" to my care. And I must love them as He loves me--unconditionally, compassionately, with a heart ready to forgive, and using my physical resources to meet their physical needs. My relationships on earth are directly related to the depth of my relationship with Christ.
Why do I do these things? Because by not submitting, I am in rebellion against God who placed those who are in authority over me in their positions. Because my not doing good, I will not only live in fear, with a guilty conscious, always looking over my shoulder for the punishment to come, but I will also be hiding my light from those in desperate need of it. And, of course, by loving my neighbor, I fulfill the law of Christ and give evidence of my love for Him.
I must remember where Home is. I must remember to whom I owe my allegiance, my all, my obedience, my love. And I must remember that He has given me responsibilities that are crucial to His accomplishing His will in the earthly country to which He has assigned me as His ambassador. My citizenship is in Heaven. My work is in my community and in my earthly country of ministry.