If you weren’t excited beyond measure after reading the first paragraph of II Corinthians 5, I despair for you. While it may be a bit depressing that “this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die…), the next words are so encouraging: “we will have a house in heaven, an eternal (as opposed to earthly) body made for us by God himself and not by human hands.” He continues: “God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit.”
What is the number one thing most people fear? Probably, death, but we do not have to fear this if we have trusted Christ. He paid our price. I love the way Paul puts it: “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ.”
What Paul endured for the gospel, we will, hopefully, never experience. But he wasn’t angry or bitter; he rejoiced in all things as we are supposed to do.
Paul also makes a great case why we should always be generous. After all, we will be enriched in every way.
Tomorrow, we’ll read II Corinthians 10 – 13.
Until next time…
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