From: August 31, 2024
“For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (2 Corinthians 5:1 ESV).
Paul encouraged the Corinthians not to give up, for the present troubles of this world are temporary, but the coming glory is eternal. He urged them to focus on this coming glory when our “earthly tent” will die, yet we shall live forever in an “eternal house,” which is our resurrection body, made by God.
What will this eternal body be like? It will be like the resurrection body of Jesus. For Jesus is the “firstborn from the dead” (Col. 1:18, Rev. 1:5), whose body is the prototype of all who are raised in Him. Although we may not know all the details, we may consider the nature of Christ’s resurrection body as recorded in the gospels to shed light on the nature of our future bodies. As the apostle John wrote, “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2).
So when we feel overcome by the sufferings of this world, or the groanings of our earthly bodies, let us remember the temporary nature of this life and the future glory of the next. For we will one day receive a new and eternal body fit for heaven made by God Himself. And we will enjoy life abundant and everlasting with our Lord and with His saints forever.
PRAYER: Dear Father, we often experience the pain and suffering of living in this world. We grieve the loss of loved ones and we feel anxious about the future. Yet we trust in You. We know our future is in Your hands. We have believed in Your Son and know that we have the promise of eternal life in Him and that we will receive eternal bodies fit for heaven that You have prepared for us. Therefore we place all our hopes in You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: August 31, 2023
“We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you” (2 Corinthians 4:14 NLT).
“We know.” This is how Paul described that our faith is based on the historical fact of the resurrection of Jesus. We look at this fact, believing it, and this faith becomes like confident knowledge. Believing that God raised Jesus in the past, we also believe that He will raise us with Jesus in the future. Our future hope is anchored in this already-fulfilled past. Ours is not blind faith or empty hope. “We know” that the same God who raised Christ, will raise us too.
This is the confident faith we have in the risen Christ. We know!
PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You for our resurrection hope in Christ. We can live this day with confident expectation of our future estate with You. Help us to throw off any hindrances as we run life’s race, knowing that our reward is kept in heaven with You. Thank You for another day to live. Strengthen us to live it for Your glory. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: August 31, 2022
LORD HASTE THE DAY WHEN OUR FAITH SHALL BE SIGHT
Presently, we go through life believing in our risen Lord without actually seeing Him. Yet our faith is not without foundation. We believe because of at least three witnesses: 1) the witness of the Bible, 2) the witness of the saints who have passed the faith down to us, and 3) the inner witness of the Spirit of adoption that lives within us, who causes us to cry out, “Abba, Father” to our God.
Our faith is by God’s grace and not our sight. The world says seeing is believing. However, Jesus said to Thomas, “You have believed because you have seen, but blessed are those who have not seen, yet have believed” (John 20:29). We believe in the risen Lord. He is the Head of His body, the Church. And so, we believe that just as the Head was raised, so shall the body be raised. The same God who raised Jesus from the dead, will raise us. We live by this faith, even though our eyes have not yet seen its fulfillment.
As the fourth verse of that beloved hymn, “It Is Well,” reminds us:
“And Lord haste the day
when the faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound,
and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.”
PRAYER: Dear Father, until that day when our faith shall be sight, we trust in Your Word and in Your Spirit. We know that we know. May our faith in You increase as we lift our eyes from this world to the face of Your Son, Jesus. In His name we pray, amen.
From: August 31, 2017
God speaks, asking Job where he was when the universe was created and the singing and shouting of worship first resounded. Who or what are these “morning stars” that sing and these “sons of God” that shout? Many see both of these as metaphors for angelic beings. Certainly, Isaiah described Lucifer as a “morning star” before his fall (Isa.14:12). Yet, surprisingly the Lord may actually be referring to the stars themselves. As Dr Bill Chaplin, an asteroseismologist at Birmingham University, has reported, “Essentially stars resonate like a huge musical instrument.” In other words, stars sing! Even the stars were made to worship the Lord!
From: August 31, 2016
After 37 chapters, God finally speaks. Many today think they know how the world began. Men who’ve barely lived 50 years speak of 5 billion years and materialistic theories. I think God laughs at man’s wisdom. I love science and history, but I trust and love God’s revealed Word more.
From: August 31, 2015
Presently, we walk through life believing in our risen Lord without actually seeing Him. We believe because of the witnesses – the witness of the Bible, of the saints who have passed the faith down to us, and because of the inner witness of the Spirit of adoption who causes us to cry out, “Abba, Father” to our God. Our faith is by God’s grace and not our sight. The world says seeing is believing. However, Jesus said to Thomas, “You have believed because you have seen, but blessed are those who have not seen, yet have believed” (John 20:29). We believe in the risen Lord. He is the Head of His body, the Church. And so, we believe that just as the Head was raised, so shall the body be raised. The same God who raised Jesus from the dead, will raise us. We live by this faith, even though our eyes have not yet seen its fulfillment.