Heaven’s Commonwealth
“Let the Son bask,
Revealing you are heaven’s commonwealth.
And death to self is what certifies a bill of health.”
Plants lean toward light because they know they can’t live without it. Our souls are no different. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12). To bask in the Son is to let His presence warm what’s cold in us, and bring life where we’ve gone dry.
And when you do, you realize something: you don’t just belong here — you belong there.
Paul wrote, “Our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20). The Greek word he uses is politeuma — citizenship, community, even commonwealth.
That word hits different if your country is a commonwealth. My family is from Puerto Rico, a commonwealth of the U.S. Citizens, but not with full rights. Belonging, but still treated as less. And if you’re caught living in the in-between, sometimes it feels like we’re ni de aquí ni de allá (neither from here nor from there).
But the truth in Christ is: somos de aquí y de allá (we are from here and from there). We live on earth, but our identity is secured in heaven. We work jobs, raise families, and wrestle with bills here — but our names are written in glory there.
And here’s the paradox: the way to live is to die. Jesus said, “Whoever loses their life for me will save it” (Luke 9:24). Death to self is the strange diagnosis that actually certifies real health.
In old times, a “bill of health” was a document given to ships declaring they were free from disease and safe to sail. Today, it’s a medical report proving someone is healthy. Spiritually, our bill of health isn’t self-preservation — it’s self-denial. Dying to self is the certificate that we are truly alive in Christ.
So what does dying to self look like? It’s choosing the Spirit’s fruit instead of my natural reaction:
When I want to lash out in anger, I choose to be patient.
When selfishness rises, I choose kindness.
When envy creeps in, I choose love.
When worry consumes me, I choose peace.
This is not willpower — it’s surrender. It’s letting Christ’s Spirit replace what comes naturally with what comes supernaturally.
The Son is the revealer of our true identity — showing us we are not second-class, not forgotten, but citizens of heaven with full belonging.
Takeaway
Your truest identity isn’t in where you come from or what culture says about you. It’s in Christ. And dying to self means letting His Spirit win over your natural reactions.
Prayer
Jesus, let me bask in Your light and find my identity in You alone. Teach me to leave “self” behind and die daily — to choose patience over anger, kindness over selfishness, peace over worry, and love over envy. Thank You that in You I have full belonging — here and in heaven.
In Jesus’ name, Amén.
