CAMPING OUT IN CORINTH
Opening Prayer
Lead me today, precious Savior.
Read 2 Corinthians 5:1–10
Awaiting the New Body
5 For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, 3 because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 For we live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Notice your body’s strengths and weaknesses. Still yourself in God’s presence and notice the sights and noises around you.For my 21st birthday I wanted one thing: a tent. It represented adventure, freedom, and exploration. After getting married I wanted to share all of this with my wife. One night camping in a field with a rampaging cow quickly gave us a strong desire for something more substantial!
Here the tent represents the body. As Paul looks forward to a new “home”—a resurrection body—he is anticipating total renewal as a person, becoming like Christ. But he longs and groans for this new reality, all the more so as his current body is wasting away.
The “treasure” within his body—the Holy Spirit—is a down-payment that guarantees this glorious future (5). The current work of the Holy Spirit in Paul is a foretaste of what is to come. The word used here for “deposit” means “engagement ring” in modern Greek. Our present experience is like being engaged. Our future relationship promises both continuity and qualitative change. So, like Paul, we can be confident (6,8), focusing not on what is fading away but on what is guaranteed. Our purpose in life—both now and in the future—is to please the Lord to whom we will give account (9,10).
Apply
Which life choices would be different if you truly gave your body to God? Surrender to him now. Let your body be a living and holy sacrifice (Rom. 12:1).
Closing prayer
Lord Jesus, I am Yours: body, soul, mind, and spirit. Change me.
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