Groaning Faith

Earthly Tent

Our bodies are is what Paul is referring to as an “Earthly Tent”

Inspiring eh, we are not even a small semi detached, but a thread bear, patched up, letting in the rain and blowing in the wind tent, causing more grief than bringing shelter type tent (or at least that’s how I might see me as a tent!)

Remember Paul was a tentmaker by trade so I’m sure he held tents in high regard, the fact that they got thorn and ripped was good for business anyway

Tents are not permanent structures, you have to take care how you pitch one, they can be flimsy and blown away, ripped up, burnt and host of other calamities can occur to a tent

I can remember well while fishing overnight on a lonely island, my tent was hit by a freakish wind and rolled onto its roof and kept rolling towards the water, I awoke in shock and just got out in time, but my tent was ripped and battered beyond repair, that’s why I have little faith in tents

Our bodies are not made to last forever, the clock is definitely ticking in every cell and strand of DNA is plotting its ultimate end and ceasing to be, these are mortal clothes we wear

I believe in each of us are the seeds of eternity, my metaphors get confused at this point, but I do feel that the purpose of life is to chose how you plant those seeds

To me it is an amazing comfort to know that God himself as prepared an eternal house not made by human hands (Thank God), but by the creator of all things himself, now that’s the kind of structure I have faith in

A true house built on rock! A body design and created for eternity

Notice we are never naked our earthly clothes are covered by our heavenly ones

On death we step from one room to the next

I do not know what this is like, none of us do, but those of us who have put their faith in Jesus Christ have a hope eternal, unseen but true

I believe it will be like a blink of an eye, one second here next there, the choice of where there is up to us will it be heaven or hell?

Me I chose Jesus it’s the only way, I want to blink so to speak and open my eyes to see the Lord and praise him forever!

Guaranteed!

Believers in Jesus are sealed in the Holy Spirit

Nothing can take that away once given, not even ourselves and our ways, once saved always saved

We are not saved by our good works, we are saved so that we can do good works, works that please God and God alone!

We are not saved for our own glory and gratification, we are saved to bring God glory and God alone!

Remember and never forget God has a perfect plan for each of us, he has a purpose for each of us and he will help us every step of the way to succeed in that the Lord has planned and breathed for us

The presence of the Holy Spirit in us fuels the longing and groanings for our heavenly dwellings, the Spirit knows what heaven is like, has experienced the perfect creation and wants away from this imperfect fallen world

The Holy Spirit is the deposit the guarantee, an engagement ring, pledging and guaranteeing the marriage day when we step forth perfect creations in the divine city

Therefore we are confident

Always confident!

We who have faith in Jesus should always be confident

Striving to be like him while here in this earthly body, this jar of clay, moving forward step by painful step

Its not easy, we would rather be with Jesus in the heavenlies, but we not we here on this earth called to follow him, called to tread the stony path, called to give our all and move forward for our King and his Kingdom

Its not easy, its not pain free, it hurts, its lonely, its dark and it will take our last breath

But we follow, we move forward as we have a hope so sure, a faith so strong we live by it

We live to please our Lord, to please Jesus with acts of Love, sacrifice and kingdom service we should aim always to please God and God alone

In obedience, in love, in service and bringing the glory to him

We are not here to serve our selves, a religion or church

We are here to serve Jesus, our King who died on a blood soaked cross, who suffered the cruelest of tortures so don’t expect a life of comfort, we serve a suffering servant King and we ask to be like him and join him in his sufferings