Our Heavenly Dwelling

2 Corinthians 5

Our Heavenly Dwelling

1Now 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. 2Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, 3because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
6Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7We live by faith, not by sight. 8We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

Today would have been my Mom's 75th Birthday. She was called home on February 2, 2008 after a short battle with cancer. She was a strong women with a great love for Jesus. When she found out just how terrible the disease was, her response was "Well, I am ready to see Jesus". One of her favorite sayings was "Absent from the body, Present with the Lord", which brings me to this passage in the Bible. This was read to my family hours before she left us and it will always be a favorite of mine. Our ultimate hope when we are experiencing terrible illness, persecution, or pain is the realization that this life is not all there is-there is life after death! Knowing that we will live forever with God in a place without sin and suffering can help us live above the pain we face today. Paul was not afraid to die because he was confident of spending eternity with Christ. Of course, facing the unknown may cause us anxiety, and leaving loved ones hurts deeply, but if we believe in Jesus Christ, we can share Paul's hope and confidence of eternal life with Christ. Death is only a prelude to eternal life with God. We will continue to live! Let this hope give you confidence and inspire you to faithful service.

May this be a tribute to my beautiful Mom, I love and miss her so!