Friday 4 October 2013

Read: 2 Corinthians 5:1-10

Did you know that following Christ provides the very best beauty and healthcare plan that has ever been offered? In fact, this plan is so good that it should change the way that we live every day.

I'm not talking about fellow believers with the spiritual gift of beauty care. I'm talking about the hope that we have in the resurrection. That we will all one day be resurrected in Christ and given new, perfect, heavenly bodies. We cannot spend a number of days discussing our inevitable deaths and the fact that we will be going home to be with Christ without also dealing with the topic of resurrection.

Our reading from 1 Corinthians 5 gives us a glorious picture of this resurrection and an encouraging look at death from a Christian's point of view.

Paul begins by talking about the eternal house we have in heaven when our current earthly tent is destroyed. This is our resurrection body, heavenly and perfect. No longer will we groan in these feeble, earthy bodies. Instead we have hope in our future bodies.

Jesus is our perfect example of what it means to have a resurrection body. He was raised from the dead first just as we will be. His body, although interestingly still bearing the scars of His life, was perfect, totally made new. This is the resurrection that we can look forward to.

This gives us incredible hope. Do you suffer now? Do you struggle with ill health and all sorts of groanings because of this earthly tent? If you are in Christ you too can look forward to the heavenly house you will be given at the resurrection. Praise God!

Prayer: Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today's reading to help you get ideas. 

Adoration:

Confession:

Thanks:

Supplication:

• Pray for the youth in your church. Pray that God would grow them in their love and passion for Him. Pray that they would be passionate in their service of Him and that they would see Him as their greatest pleasure and treasure. Pray that God would help you to encourage and help the youth of your church.
• Pray for the gatherings of believers all over the world this coming Sunday. Pray that God would begin working in hearts now that people might be changed by His word and glorify Him with their whole lives. Pray that God would fill those who share God's word with His spirit and help them to preach the word faithfully and boldly.

My Additional Prayer Points. 

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