May 04th, 2016

“So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. For we live by believing and not by seeing. Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord." 2 Corinthians 5:6-8 NLT

We are a spirit, soul, and body. The Holy Spirit distinctly outlines this in 1 Thessalonians 5:23: “Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.” NLT‬‬

As long as we are here in this current, sinful, depraved flesh we are not face to face with Jesus. Sure, the Holy Spirit lives in us as believers. He is the person of God within us. However, we long to be physically face to face with our Creator. Because our bodies are corrupt (tainted by sin) we experience the natural regression of aging, physical challenges, sickness, and death. When we die, our spirit leaves our body. The spirit goes to be with Jesus. The body goes back to the dust it came from.

Take a look at these verses: “Then the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.” ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭2:7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“For then the dust will return to the earth, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.” ‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭12:7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

What Paul was saying in today's selection of scripture was that our spirit and soul exit our bodies at death and go to be in the presence of God. We must realize that who we are is determined by the spirit within. If we are a believer in Christ Jesus, our spirit is eternally alive. If we are an unbeliever, our spirit is eternally dead. Our body is the vehicle that the spirit and soul dwell within. Who we are isn't simply the height, weight, hair color, eye color, etc. Although these things are unique and intentional, what we see is only temporary because sin has degraded our human, physical existence. The only way to have an eternal body, that never dies, is through Jesus Christ. Once we accept Jesus, we are immediately made new and right with God in spirit. However, we still live in a world that is cursed. As a result, our human bodies die. The greatest
news of all is that we will have a new body in the eternal heaven. In conclusion, as believers in Jesus, when our bodies succumb to death, our spirit and soul yet live in the eternal keeping of our Lord. When He returns, we will experience the translation of our old, decayed body into a new, eternal one. Until that time, it is great to know that when we die, we don't just get buried in the dirt. Just like a seed in the garden, what is inside can only come out when it is buried beneath the soil.

Prayer for today: Father, in Jesus name, thank you for defeating death and giving me eternal life through Jesus Christ my Lord. What complete satisfaction it brings to my life to know that I am alive eternally.