Standing Firm

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. [1 Corinthians 16:13]

Devotionals

New Bodies

Cathy

Tuesday: Today’s devotional is from 2 Corinthians 5:1-10. Good news girlfriend, if there are things you don’t like about your current body guess what, a new one is coming; but more importantly what are you doing with your life and body while here on earth?

LISTEN TO TODAY’S READING

Earthly Vessels

SCRIPTURES FOR TODAY: 2 CORINTHIANS 5:1-10

Verse 1: 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.

Verses 2-4 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.

Verse 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.

Verses 6-9 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.

Verse 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.

THOUGHTS & RELEVANCE FOR TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL

When you first read this section of scriptures it may appear to be repetitive and a little mumble jumble and not relevant to you today. But let’s look at it a bit closer because it actually has a powerful message about your life purpose and legacy.

Verse 1: In this opening verse there is another analogy that has great meaning. Our bodies here on earth are like a tent. Paul was referring to this type of dwelling (where people can live) as something that is flimsy and temporary. Our souls are in this tent and it will continue to go on regardless of what happens to our physical body. The awesome point he is making is when our bodies break down, we have sickness, or we even die; we have an eternal house (eternal body) where we will still be with God.

Verse 2-4 these verses talk about our desire to have that perfect relationship with God, but here on this earth it won’t be perfect (naked). We will find hardships and challenges while here on earth. But we can look forward to the day that even our bodies will be perfect. The clothing is the righteousness and holiness of God, when we are no longer in our present body but reside in our heavenly body.

Verse 5: now this verse is so awesome, we have a GUARANTEE from God. Not a wimpy guarantee from some corporation, a ROCK SOLID GUARANTEE from God Almighty. He is preparing us through the trials here on earth for our heavenly destiny. Our guarantee is we have a reservation in heaven because of our relationship with Jesus Christ. The down payment to back this guarantee is we have been given the Holy Spirit to guide us in our walk here on earth. That is so powerful, when we can really grasp this.

Verses 6-9 Whenever you see the word “therefore” in the bible, remember the context of scripture before it because it told us something God has provided to us to live out life here on earth. Therefor, because we have been given the holy spirit within us, even though in these bodies we are physically apart from God, we can live by faith that God is with us. While here on earth we want to do whatever we can to follow the will of God and do what we were put on this earth do. We should make it our goal to seek Him and walk out our purpose.

Verse 10 this final verse reminds us while here on earth we want to work towards fulfilling the purpose God has ordained us for. We want to do this because one day we will stand before God; He will show us all the gifts, talents, and resources that He gave to us. He will want to hear from us what we actually did with them, how did it glorify Him and what impact did our life have on others. (our life purpose and legacy).

DAILY DEVOTIONALS

DAILY DEVOTIONALS are biblical based mini studies to encourage you, help you grow on your journey, and to inspire you to share with others!

  • Sunday: Video teachings with a variety of teachers, bishops, and pastors.
  • Monday: Hearing from God Each Morning (365 Daily Devotional) Joyce Meyer
  • Tuesday: Study of a book in the bible along with scripture readings (II Corinthians)
  • Wednesday: Jesus Calling; Enjoying Peace in His Presence (365 Daily Devotional) Sarah Young
  • Thursday: Becoming A Vessel God Can use; Donna Partow
  • Friday: Our Daily Bread; that tiny little monthly booklet that reaches people around the world with the life-changing wisdom of the bible
  • Saturday: Created For Excellence; 12 Keys to Godly Success, Kevin Baerg
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