Bible Verse of the Day Friday August 18th, 2023

2 Corinthians 5:1 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.

This verse opens with the phrase "for we know." We must not wonder about this promise from God; if God says it, we can depend on it. The bottom line of the Word of God is a promise to know we have eternal life. It is something other than what we must work towards; the only requirement is placing our faith and trust in the sacrifice of Christ Jesus on the Cross of Calvary. Some say they never feel the leading guiding and direction of the Holy Spirit in their Lives. The more of ourselves we are willing to surrender to God, the more the indwelling of the Holy Spirit will be available to us. "We Know" indicates that we can be confident about our future in Heaven. It is not a matter of supposition or conjecture; this knowledge came from divine revelation, not by experience or intuition.

Paul used a representation of our physical body to pitching a tent. Tents are transitory places of dwelling. Jesus "tabernacled" (tented) in this world in a human body. "Earthly" in this circumstance means temporary, as in our mortal beings. Our tent "being destroyed" is symbolic of our earthly life coming to an end. The phrase "if the earthly life we live in is destroyed" implies that, in most cases, we do not know when our earthly lives will end. On the one hand, we must come to terms with our earthly life ending, but on the other hand, God assures us of our new eternal life spent with the one that made it possible, our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus. 

Many people live in fear of the future; however, we see the Apostle Paul in this writing comparing the worst thing that might happen in his life, his death, with such complacency that he compares it to tearing down the tent in which was his temporary abode. A tent is a poor fortress. We can't lock the door against intruders and wild animals at night can easily wreak havoc. If we have ever spent the night in a tent in a storm with lightning and wind, we know it can collapse easily. As a tentmaker, Paul knew about tents. He knew it was not secure when he compared this life to a tent. This life is uncertain; It can end in a second. We try to develop security through insurance, accumulating goods, and support networks, but living in a tent is so insecure and uncertain. David said, "There is only a step between me and death" (1 Samuel 20:3).