Do you know what the capital of Italy is? lt is called Rome.

This city was also the capital of the Roman Empire mentioned in the Bible. Rome is strategically located approximately fifteen miles away from the coast.That allowed it to be protected from ínvaders that came from the sea. Rome began very small, but it became large and very important in the history of this world.

Although most Jews thought being Roman was something negative, since they were the ones who had invaded Judea,therewasaperson inthe Bible who was proud to be a Roman citizen. Do you know who he was? Yes, it was the apostle Paul. You might be wondering … how did he become a Roman citizen if he was Jewish? Then read on and you will find out.

As he himself said in the Bible, Paul was a descendant of the tribe of Benjamin; therefore, he was a full-blooded Hebrew. He was also a Pharisee, so he strictly defended the law of Moses, and in addition he was also a Ro­man citizen by birth. What does that mean?

That means that his father or grandfather had received the right to be a Roman citizen and he had inherited it.ln the same way, you can be a citizen of a country because your parents are also from that same country .

Being a Roman citizen meant having a series of rights or privileges. For example, they could go to the emperor if they had a problem, they could not be whipped or crucified .. and likely, they had to pay less taxes, among other things. When Paul was arrested for preaching about Jesus, he asked for his rights as a Roman citizen.

If God is your Creator, where is your citizenship?

Write in your Prayer Journal what privileges you think you have for being a citizen of heaven.