LOOKING AHEAD

 

May 6, 2024

2 Corinthians 5:1-5

5 1-5 For instance, we know that when these bodies of ours are taken down like tents and folded away, they will be replaced by resurrection bodies in heaven—God-made, not handmade—and we’ll never have to relocate our “tents” again. Sometimes we can hardly wait to move—and so we cry out in frustration. Compared to what’s coming, living conditions around here seem like a stopover in an unfurnished shack, and we’re tired of it! We’ve been given a glimpse of the real thing, our true home, our resurrection bodies! The Spirit of God whets our appetite by giving us a taste of what’s ahead. He puts a little of heaven in our hearts so that we’ll never settle for less.

LET US PRAY 

God, we praise you for the wonderful future that you have prepared for us through the death and resurrection of your Son, Jesus Christ. We eagerly await the day when we will enter into your presence for all eternity with holy bodies untainted by sin. Please help us to not lose heart when we face the many pressures, anxieties, and troubles of life in this fallen world. Let us take great courage in the knowledge that you’ve given us the Holy Spirit to prepare our souls for our kingdom dwelling with you. Thank you for Jesus life in us. It is in his name that we pray, Amen.


Philippians 3:20-21

But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

What a tremendous promise! What a hope we have! We don’t have to despair because what we see now is temporary. God is making something that’s much more permanent and everlasting.

Today our emphasis is about what we have received in Christ. This life will not last forever, but the life we have in Christ will. It’s about the One who will take our mortal bodies and swallow it up with His own life. 

May we all have the confidence to say, “For I know that my Redeemer lives!!”