https://odb.org/2024/05/17/a-change-of-venue
I was down with a cold and a bad cough with fever the past few days and thus was not able to write. I am now recovering with antibiotics and some good cough mixture.
2 Corinthians 5:1-10 is a well-known passage from Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth. It speaks of him prefering to be with the Lord than remain in this earthen tent as the former is in heaven, the place where God dwells. Also, being with the Lord means that we will one day be clothe with our glorified body, which is incorruptible, unlike our current earthly body. Yet he knows that if we remain in our earthly tent, we are to please the Lord because a time will come when we will need to give an account of our lives at the judgement seat of Christ (also known as the Bema seat of Christ), whether good or bad.
That to me, verse 10 is the crux of 2 Corinthians 5. It is not for us to decide when we are to leave this world and enter into the heavenly realm to be with the Lord, but in the meantime, we must please God with our lives. Unlike some faith, perhaps some among them wrongly teach their adherents that one may die for God by killing enemies of the faith as a kind of backdoor entry into heaven. As our fight is never against flesh and blood, people indoctrinated this way will be horrified to learn on the other side that taking the life of another human being can never be the basis of salvation. Jesus said before -“I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).
We don’t know for sure when the world will end, although many believe it will not be too far away before Christ returns in all His glory. If we leave earlier, our loved ones will miss us because once we depart, we will no longer be a part of this world. We will, of course, be happy to be with the Lord and leave the worries of life and the struggles of living behind us. Until that day comes, we need to do our part to please God to ensure that we are able to give a good account to Christ whether we had lived a life fulfilling His calling for us, His plans and purposes for our lives. Have we been that brick, He had specially chosen and prepared as part of the universal church with our unique talents and giftings? Once our earthen life ends, we can not do anything more for God in this world, even if we want to. Remember that…
Ronnie's Thoughts 