When you look in the mirror, what do you see? Do you see a reflection you are happy with? So many of us find fault with our earthly bodies. Maybe we’re too fat or too thin. We’ve got straight hair when we’d prefer curly. Don’t get me started on being short, wishing I had long, lanky legs. My long-legged friends lament they can never find pants long enough, while mine drag on the ground. We are never content, are we?
As we age, these earthly bodies start to wear out, too. Our text says we will “groan and sigh.” Our earthly bodies have their limitations. We’re surrounded by a lot of retired expats here in our community, and it’s funny how many conversations revert to our aches and pains and how our bodies just can’t keep up with us anymore. This passage today speaks of hope. Our earthly bodies are only for a season; they aren’t meant to last forever. Our heavenly bodies, on the other hand, are designed for eternity.
Not that we should be in a rush, but we can be looking forward to our “new look.” Do you ever ask, “What will I look like in heaven?” The text tells us, these bodies are “an eternal body made for us by God himself.” God has given us the Holy Spirit to live inside us now to keep us grounded and to help us prepare for the life to come. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we live now by faith in what we cannot see. Left to our own devices, we would soon falter and fall away. The Holy Spirit inside us keeps us connected with a desire to seek God and be in his presence.
When our time comes to leave this earth, we have confidence that we will be with God at last. As our text puts it, “we will be at home with the Lord.” While I don’t want to rush that day, there is a thrill of excitement that bubbles up inside me when I think of it and try to imagine what it will be like. While we wait, we have been given a job to do in this life. We should be ready to do it.
What is that job? “So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him.” To please God! How are you pleasing him with your actions, your words, your life? Take some time today to reflect on these things. What does it mean to please God? Are you seeking his will for your life? Remember, “we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.”
Let’s pray … Lord, forgive me for being so consumed with my appearance. I want to honor the body you’ve given me and take good care of it while I live here on earth. I know you’re looking at what’s inside my heart. May my motivations always be pure and focused on pleasing you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
