Tenting is not permanent

by Pastor Mark Lieschke

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For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands (2 Corinthians 5:1).

Read 2 Corinthians 4:13–5:10

King David once wrote: ‘We pass through life like exiles and strangers, as our ancestors did. Our days are like a passing shadow, and we cannot escape death’ (1 Chronicles 29:15). We see evidence of what he wrote with our own eyes, time and time again. Death comes, and it can’t be avoided.

That truth can bring a great deal of anguish in some circumstances, even real despair in others. But not necessarily for us. When we think of the funerals of fellow Christians we have attended, we can confidently say that their earthly tent has been taken down and their bodies have been carefully placed into a coffin, for they are of no further use to them.

Life on Earth is like living in a tent. The life of our body is as permanent as a tent. Sometimes we see the wear and tear on these tents taking its toll throughout life. Signs of frailty and weakness can become very evident. We can make temporary repairs and even be patched up pretty well at times; however, no amount of attention can change the fact that these tents of ours are not permanent homes for us.

However, that is no reason for us to despair. To die means merely that our earthly tent, our temporary residence, is taken down. There is no thought of us being destroyed or put out of existence. In death, we will be perfectly secure; only our earthly tents will be taken down.

So, St Paul could say with all confidence that we can always be full of courage in the face of death. And he could say that because he knew of the permanent home that was waiting for him, the kind of residence that Jesus told his disciples about when he said, ‘In my Father’s house are many rooms – I’m going to prepare a place for you’ (John 14:2).

Death, for God’s people, then, is only moving day. When we die, we move out of our earthly tent into a new house God has built for us. And unlike a tent, the new home is permanent and eternal.

Lord Jesus Christ, as I pass through the valley of the shadow of death, watch over me. Help me know that you have prepared a place for me to live with you for all eternity. While I wait for that time, help me live within the tent of my body, despite all its flaws and weaknesses. In your name, I pray. Amen.

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