June 7, 2021 ALWAYS OF GOOD COURAGE
2 Corinthians 5:4-9 “For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed, but to be clothed, in order that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the Spirit as a pledge. Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in body we are absent from the Lord-for we walk by faith, not by sight-we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. Therefore also we have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”
In light of the fact that in this world we experience trials and difficulties, sickness and brokenness, one may think it is absurd to think that one could always be of good courage. Paul said above, “we groan, being burdened;” to deny the trials and difficulties in life would be foolish on our part. We often hear that we should have a positive attitude; to be a ‘positive’ thinker is certainly better than being a ‘negative’ thinker. However, it takes a lot more than positive thoughts to ‘always be of good courage’ in the world in which we live. There is only one way to always be of good courage, and that way is revealed in the scriptures above. We tend to think that this earth is our home and we try to make the best of it, and we view death as our great enemy. Paul is reminding us that as long as we are in this earthly body, we are absent from the Lord; even though His Spirit lives in us now, we are not with Him physically. Simply said, if we are to be with Him physically, we must be absent from the body. Believers have an innate desire to be with God-they have an awareness that there is more. We must remember that we are mortals; but one day this mortal body of ours will be “swallowed up by life.” That is our hope. Even though we are mortals, God has not left us alone; He has given us the Spirit as a pledge; and a pledge means that more-much more-is to come. Paul tells us that we must ‘walk by faith, not by sight’-and that is key. If we focus on what we see, we will not be of good courage. Knowing that we have the Spirit as a pledge and knowing that this mortal we be swallowed up by life, we are to have as our ambition to be pleasing to Him. Our life here is part of a much bigger purpose-what we do, the life we live here matters more than we realize. So, while we live in this fallen, dark world, with all of its trials, let us be ever conscience of the fact that we will one day be present with the Lord. Because we have this hope in Christ Jesus and have the Spirit as a pledge, and because we know that there is a great day coming when we will be with Him, we too can always be of good courage! We don’t deny the pains and hurts that come in this life, but we also know that this mortal will be swallowed up by life! What could be greater?
John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
Philippians 3:20-21 “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables Him to being everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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