Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

May 18
Monday


THE HEAVENLY
ALTERNATIVE

READ:
2 Corinthians 5:1-11
________________________________________

We are confident, yes,
well pleased rather
to be absent from the
body and to be present
with the Lord.
__2 Corinthians 5:1-11
________________________________________

Recently, I wished a young friend "happy birthday" and asked him how it felt to be a year older. His playful response? "Well, I guess it's better than the alternative!"

We laughed together, but I later stopped to think--is it really? Don't misunderstand me. I'm happy to live as long as the Lord allows me to live and to watch my kids and grandkids grow and experience life. I'm not excited about the inevitability of death. But as a believer, the alternative to getting older is heaven--and that's not bad!

In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul talks about the reality of living with the aches and pains of our physical bodies, our "tents" of flesh. But we should not live in despair about aging. In fact, the apostle calls us to just the opposite. He wrote, "we are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord" (v.8). Confident! Pleased! Why? Because our alternative to earthly life is that we will be present with the Lord-forever! The heavenly perspective of what awaits us can give us confidence for living now.

If you know Christ, His promise can give you what the hymnwriter called, "Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow." What a great alternative! __Bill Crowder
_____________________________________________________________

``````````````He's gone "to prepare a place for you."```````````````
``````````````That where He is, "there you may be."```````````````
`````````````````Our death is not the end of life--`````````````````
``````````````We'll be with Christ eternally! __Hess````````````````
_____________________________________________________________

Death is gain because it means
heaven, holiness, and Him!

************Today's Bible Reading __ 2 Corinthians 5:1-11*********

1 For we know that if our
earthly house, this tent, is
destroyed, we have a
building from god, a house
not made with hands,
eternal in the heavens. 2 For
in this we groan, earnestly
desiring to be clothed with
our habitation which is
from heaven, 3 if indeed,
having been clothed, we
shall not be found naked.
For we who are in this
tent groan, being burdened,
not because we want to be
unclothed, but further
clothed, that mortality may
be swallowed up by life.
Now He who has prepared
us for this very thing is
God, who also has given us
the spirit as a guarantee.
6 So we are always
confident, knowing that
while we are at home in the
body we are absent from
the Lord. 7 For we walk by
faith, not by sight. 8 We are
confident, yes, well pleased
rather to be absent from the
body and to be present with
the Lord. 9 Therefore we
make it our aim, whether
present or absent, to be well
pleasing to HIm. 10 For we
must all appear before the
judgment seat of christ,
that each one may receive
the things done in the body,
according to what he has
done, whether good or bad.
11 Knowing, therefore, the
terror of the Lord, we
persuade men; but we are
well known to God, and I
also trust are well known in
your consciences.


>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul uses a contrast between the tabernacle
and the temple to illustrate that our temporary earthly bodies will
someday be replaced with an eternal resurrection body.
__Dennis Fisher

[cimi]

I can't take the credit. I'm not awesome. He is. GB