Wednesday, July 1, 2009
2 Corinthians 5:1 Now 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.
A HEAVENLY HOME
We tend to admire people who exhibit a confident attitude, and we ourselves like to feel confident as we step through life day after day. Yet confidence is sometimes difficult to come by, especially in these uncertain times. It is hard to listen to the news without wondering, "What is the world coming to? What will the outcome of it all be?" As Christians in particular we might think, "How will I survive in this present age--survive and keep my faith intact?" Can we really walk with confidence from day to day? In his second letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul went so far as to say that we are "always confident"!
The Apostle knew that the Christians who would come after his time would face things that would shake their confidence. They would face wicked and cruel governments. They would be persecuted openly for their faith in Jesus. So he reminded the Corinthians (and he reminds us) that while we cannot be confident in the things of this world which change and decay, we can always be confident in the heavenly gift God has prepared for us.
2 Cor 5:1: "Now 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." When Paul wrote to the Corinthians about the "earthly tent we live in" he was talking about their bodies. Whatever struggles or difficulties the people would face, even if it meant their own deaths, they could always be confident in the fact that they had an eternal house in heaven waiting for them--a place that could not be destroyed or fade away.
When our confidence is shaken; when the world around us seems to tremble and we feel like things are tumbling down around us, we need to remember this same thing: we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven.
I'm but a stranger here, Heav'n is my home;
Earth is a desert drear, Heav'n is my home.
Danger and sorrow stand round me on ev'ry hand;
Heav'n is my fatherland, Heav'n is my home.
(The Lutheran Hymnal, 660:1)
