"Made in the USA"

Have you noticed how few consumer products are made in the USA? (For my non-US readers, how about for your country?) The Lovely Joanne's company works with a lot of manufacturers who are working to get more jobs back on American soil, in this modern global economy. And with the Fourth of July coming up, American pride is involved too. But for me, there's something
more fundamental than 'made in the USA.' You might say my true 'country of origin' is invisible for now, one that doesn't have to compete with the nations on the planet because has already created a superior product and one day will completely capture the market.

My 'country of origin' is Jesus Christ himself. He created everything: "God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him" (John 1:3).So I'm not manufactured somewhere else and assembled here, like a new car, but I owe my existence to him alone. Not only that, I'm re-created into a new person in Christ: "For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago" (Ephesians 2:10). That means I'm fully decked out with all the latest features and equipment; I'm not some cheap base model that doesn't really do anything. My new person in Christ is not the old flawed model, but in spiritual terms is "in Christ...holy and without fault in his eyes" (Eph. 1:4), and my new life in him is the process of growing fully into that new, holy being.

I love the USA, and I pray for my country, especially with elections coming up this fall. This is a wonderful place, with tremendous natural resources and many personal freedoms not enjoyed elsewhere. I wouldn't want to live elsewhere on this earth, although I've seen a lot of other beautiful places. But as much as I love the USA, the bottom line is, I'm a "citizen of heaven" (Phil. 1:27). My highest allegiance is to that government, even above my citizenship here. I'm like the saints described in Hebrews 11:16, "looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them."

So yes, I salute the flag and I'm happy to be here. "Made in the USA" is something I look for and prefer. But my real country is heaven, and the stamp on my DNA is "Created anew by Jesus Christ."  How about you?