Absent from the body

For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.
Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. – 2 Corinthians 5.1-8

I first heard this passage in a Bible study in someone’s house when I was still living at home. It must have been about 1974. The basic idea still sticks in my mind after all these years.

Paul spends and extended time here talking about the reality that what we have here is not the end of the story. The ‘tabernacle’ we dwell in here is a temporary dwelling place. It is not a home of permanence. It is like living in a tent.

While we are in this present Tabernacle we may very well groan for better. In fact, as the years roll by I find myself groaning just about everytime I have to get up of a chair or out of the car. Our tents are wearing out.

While we are here we can’t see Christ – we walk by faith and not by sight. He is here, but we don’t sense his presence.

But one day – one glorious day, we will put off this tabernacle and be with Him face to face. To be absent from the body is to be presetn with the Lord. Then it will be worth it all when we see Jesus.

So let’s just hold on till that glorious day.