2 Corinthians 5:1-10, 17 - For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one of us may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. ... Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
Living in a tent can be a pain. Oh, it's much better than having no shelter at all; but tents leak, they let in bugs, and they can get very cold—or way too hot. After a few days in a tent, I start thinking fondly of home!
And that's what Paul is doing in this passage. He's thinking fondly of home, our home—the life that God made us for, "eternal in the heavens." And that life comes with a glorified body—something that is as much greater than our bodies now as a cathedral is to a tent!
Because contrary to what a lot of human religions teach, God never meant us to live as pure spirits without bodies. We were always meant to be embodied, and that's exactly what we will be some day, when Jesus returns to take us all home forever. On that day, our mortal bodies will be "swallowed up by life"—not taken away from us, but glorified, transfigured. Everything that smells of death and decay will be gone.
And we will be at home with the Lord—with the One who loved us so much that He came down into this mortal world to become our Savior. You could say that He moved into a tent to live among us—God took on human nature, and suffered all the limitations and pains that belong to it. But He did more than that. He took the sin that was killing us and carried it away from us, all the way to the cross. Through His death He destroyed death forever. And now that He has risen from the dead, He shares His everlasting life with us. That is what we have to look forward to—either when we die or when He returns, whatever comes first.
WE PRAY: Lord, set my heart on home, where I will be with You. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Reflection Questions:
1. What do you look forward to the most about being home with the Lord?
2. Is it possible to be "too heavenly-minded," as some people have accused Christians of being?
3. Why or why not?
Today's Bible Readings: Proverbs 5-7 John 20
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