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. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, 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. So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. 2 Corinthians 5: 1-8, NKJV.
Dear God, thank You for the assurance that one day we will be with You, forever. Please make this a reality, in the blessed name of Jesus, the Christ. Amen.
Today our devotional will be rather brief. We will begin by looking at the additional application of the word “naked,” “For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked.”
This phrase brings to my mind the words of the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 9: 26, 27: “Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.”
I compared these two Scriptures and concluded, that they were saying almost the same thing; I long not only for a heavenly garment – a renewed body; but that I might not be found “naked,” or wanting, when I come to the end of the road. Having run this race, I would not like to face the sad realization that I did not acquire Christ’s garment of righteousness, to make up for my unworthiness. The state of nakedness spoken of in this particular sentence, could possibly mean lacking something, as when one is not adequately clad (see Matthew 22: 12).
Let us now take a brief moment to look at the ending portion of our Scripture. Like I said at the beginning, “whatever we study here, has to be accepted ‘ “by faith.” ‘ ”
A note of interest is the repetition of the word confident. “Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.” The other item of interest is that, tucked between these two statements of confidence, is the declaration that, as Christians, our walk is by faith, not sight! “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11: 1).
The Christian’s confidence does not rest on what he or she sees, but on what he or she knows! We know that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 15: 50). So we live in confidence, knowing that this mortal, corruptible, fleshly body, will one day give way to the “heavenly body” prepared for us, by God. Therefore, we have the blessed hope – guaranteed by the Holy Spirit – of passing from mortality to immortality, and from corruptible to incorruptible. Because of this, we look forward to one day exchanging “this old house” for a new one, made especially, for eternity! Let us be ready – the change is coming!