Niels Prip – Blog

I am an immigrant from Denmark. My family applied to come to America around 1955 and we were on a waiting list for about 2 years before we were allowed to immigrate.  I was 7 years old when we finally made the trip and were issued our permanent resident visas. My parents became citizens when I was 15. They could have included me in the citizenship process, but they decided that when I was old enough, I should make that decision for myself. So, I just put it off. During that time, I traveled back to Denmark and Sweden in a Christian band and ministered for 5 weeks. I had to get a Danish Passport to leave the country and to get back into the United States, since I was still not a citizen, that was in 1977.

Finally, after 2 attempts to become a citizen, (that is a long story in itself), I became a United States citizen in 1984.  As I did all the paperwork and got thru the interview process to become a Naturalized Citizen, I had to renounce my Danish citizenship. The United States would not allow me to have dual citizenship.

So that brings me to Philippians 3:20-21 “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like His glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself”. When we come to Christ, we forsake the world, we realize that this is not our permanent home. We renounce our earthly citizenship and become part of God’s Kingdom. Heb 13:14 “For here we do not have an abiding city, but we are seeking for the coming one.” What a great hope that we have! We would do well to focus on this! There is a Kingdom that will come, and Jesus will rule over ALL the kingdoms of this world.

Being a musician and a psalmist, Psalm 119:54 has for many years been a verse that I have lived my life by. Psalm 119:54 “Your statutes have been my songs in the House of my pilgrimage”. And Psalm 119:19 “I am a stranger in the earth; do not hide your commandments from me.”

We are to live as strangers in the earth, seeing ahead to the Kingdom that awaits us. We are to denounce our citizenship in this world, and be busy with the Father’s work, living a quiet life, being led by His Spirit. All the turmoil in the earth will end, there is a day appointed.

Eph 2:19 “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household”.

Praise be to God, the King of the universe!!!