I look around and see the beauty of God’s word in our world. Autumn, for

most of us, is a great time of year. The leaves are turning awesome colors and

flowering plants burst forth with one last shot of color before w_ _ _ _ _r. This

time of year causes me to remember that God is control. He’s in control of the

seasons, of everything.

Our world has seen some difficult times these past two years. I have been told

it is not going to get better anytime soon. I am a follower of Jesus Christ and I too

have been going through some difficult times as well. But as I look at His Word, I

am reminded of what Paul states in Philippians 3:20-21: “But our citizenship is in

heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by

the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform

our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” Two things jump out

at me from this verse that I find helpful as we go through these difficult times.

Our citizenship is in heaven. What a concept! We are believers in Christ so we

are citizens of heaven first and to the United States of America second. Heaven is

promised us as believers in Christ. When we pass on we’ll go there, and someday

those remaining will be going about their every day, normal lives and bang, their

ticket will be collected and they will instantly be in heaven.

Jesus has the power to bring everything under His control. This includes my
circumstances and the economical situation we find our country in. This even includes
the elections coming up on November 2. They are all under Jesus’ control. Does that
mean we don’t need to pray and ask Jesus for His help and guidance? No. We still
speak to Him about all things and by doing this we can know He is working on them.
To hear people say that things are going to happen the way they are going
to happen is not right. If that were the case, why did Abraham plead for
those few (10) who were righteous in Sodom and Gomorrah? We can
prayerfully ask for God to change our situations according to His will.
So are you a follower of Christ? Do you believe what Jesus did on the cross was
for your forgiveness? Have you had your ticket validated by the forgiving blood
of Jesus? If you answer yes to these questions, then no matter the situation you
endure, remember that you are a citizen of heaven and everything is under His
control. Take a look at the changing scenery of this season and as you pray, allow
God to give you the serenity you need to be at peace.

Pastor Doug DiBell
Solon Center Wesleyan Church
15671 Algoma Ave, Cedar Springs