Category: Morning Musings

Morning Musing: 2 Corinthians 5:6-8

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“So we are always confident and know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. In fact, we are confident, and we would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.”‬‬ (CSB – Read the chapter)

So we have this guarantee in a future hope and resurrection that will make meaningful all the struggles and trials we face in this life. We have a down payment on this future joy in the Holy Spirit dwelling in our hearts and bringing to bear the various fruits of the Spirit. Because of this, Paul says this weird thing about being away from the Lord and then being with the Lord. What does he mean? 

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Morning Musing: 2 Corinthians 5:4

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“Indeed, we groan while we are in this tent, burdened as we are, because we do not want to be unclothed but clothed, so that mortality may be swallowed up by life.”‬‬ (CSB – Read the chapter)

On Sunday mornings right now I am taking the congregation I am privileged to pastor through the book of Ecclesiastes. We’re not hitting every verse by any means, but rather some key highlights, as we wrestle with the question of how we can find meaning for our lives that isn’t going to run out on us when the wind starts blowing in a new direction. What does this have to do with what Paul writes here? Well…everything. 

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Morning Musing: 2 Corinthians 5:2-3

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“Indeed, we groan in this tent, desiring to put on our heavenly dwelling, since, when we have taken it off, we will not be found naked.”‬‬ (CSB – Read the chapter) 

One of the currently popular shows on the Discovery Channel is called Naked and Afraid. Admittedly, I’ve never watched it, but from the constant ads for it I’ve seen while watching various other shows on the network, the premise seems to be that one or two people have been dropped off somewhere rugged and remote and have to survive for some amount of time using nothing but a single personal item and their wits. Also, that single personal item is the onlything they have with them. Thus the title of the show. The only thing the ads have convinced me of beyond the show’s total lack of entertainment value is that I don’t think surviving in the wild is supposed to work like that. 

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Morning Musing: 2 Corinthians 5:1

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“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.” (ESV – Read the chapter)

What happens when we die? There aren’t many questions that people both don’t want to ask out loud, but about which they are less curious than that one. There are many, many stories about folks who have died, experienced something, and then come back to life vividly remembering what they saw. These can be encouraging, confusing, and just plain wild, but they don’t give us a very firm foundation. What can we actually say with confidence? 

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Morning Musing: 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

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“Therefore we do not give up. Even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person is being renewed day by day. For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory. So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

As I write this, my youngest son has strep throat. He threw up at school yesterday just before it was time to go home. We were able to get him in to see the doc before they closed for the weekend. He threw up again there. And again in the car on the way home. And again before bed. And he fought us to take his medicine. Oh, did he fight us. And then he got us up at 2:30 the following morning for the day. It was a miserable few days. If you are a parent, you likely know exactly what I’m describing. Our bodies are weak things. Some days it feels like they are falling apart faster than others. 

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