The Holy One calls to me this morning. The last four years of my earth life were been spent as caregiver for my 95 year old mom.. I had much time to see a precious soul imprisoned in a worn out tent. Earth can be a wonderful place to explore and investigate until the earth bound body begins to deteriorate with age or infirmity or is broken by accident or injury.
Not one of us has the ability to stop the deterioration process. It is a principle of the flesh just like the principle of gravity is to the things of our material realm.
The Holy One speaks as I wake up pondering the sadness of the hard reality of flesh mortality. "Your spirit is ageless and one day your body will be too." For me and all my old friends who share a lifetime of wonderful memories, we still relate to one another as if we are in our 30's. In our minds we still "feel" that we are at that age even though the mirror tells us a different story.
God's Word exhorts us to live out our lives in light of eternity. The Holy Spirit reminds me that someday I will experience a glorious translation that involves an immortal body and one that will replace the mortal worn out one I now inhabit.
Old age has its perks. The body no longer so easily co-operates with things that, in our younger years, would lead to trouble. We can still sin in our minds throughout our mortal existence but the body is less yielding as we age. And, there is more time to think and meditate on what lies ahead; more time to see the danger of youthful folly and the consequences that made for regrettable but profound life lessons. But the truly best part about the age of "more time to think" is spending it with the Holy one and reflecting on all the wonderful promises in His Word.
Isaiah 46:4, "Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He. I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will sustain you and I will rescue you." When I think about my rescue, I cannot help but see that I will need to escape the tent that houses my spirit and is breaking down with time.
The whole subject of our bodies being made up of the very chemicals of the earth we walk upon is fascinating and supports the Creation story in the book of Genesis. But the chilling words the Creator spoke to Adam on that fateful day are full of prophetic sorrow. Gen 3:19, "By the sweat of your brow you will eat of your food until you return to the ground. From dust you are and to dust you will return." The indictment was in, the penalty for rebellion was written in the dust from whence man was formed.
BUT GOD...
Who so loved the world and knew in advance what man would do and how he would fail, provided for the disaster, with the ultimate plan for rescue: kill the body and save the soul.
All that separates us from the Creator is bound up in our flesh. We have the ability to valiantly protect and justify our carnal life or separate ourselves from its corruption. We can take the hand of our Savior who promises to rescue us from all that represents death to our soul, and embrace a wild and crazy supernatural life that is eternal, forever, and without end.
For me, it is a no-brainer. Since the body will die anyway, why not leap into all the possibilities of an endless future with the most incredible Being one could ever imagine?
The questions flow and while there is not any real answers to satisfy my curiosity about the body I will someday receive, the clues abound if I take the time to investigate scripture.
I think about creation and the very first man and woman. I think about the resurrection and Jesus as the first and only example we have of an immortal body translated from a mortal dead one. What I notice is the age at creation and resurrection. Adam and Eve were Created as mature adults, in their "prime" if you will. Jesus died and was resurrected at approximately 33 years, again as an adult and in His prime as we might define "prime". It seems reasonable then, that I will translate into a glorious body that represents my "prime".
As my brain thinks in a mature yet ageless time frame, I delight to hope for a body that would be the same, If we are to live forever in a place that is timeless, it would make sense that our body be matched up with our soul and spirit that is eternal as well.
For now there is this season of confinement in a flesh body destined to pass away and I cannot help but wonder why we hold onto it so tightly especially as the testimonies of Jesus, (our model and hope) post resurrection are glorious.
Accounts of His life after death tell us that He was visible to all. He appeared and moved from place to place. He walked with the Disciples on the road to Emmaus. He entered the upper room undetected to chat with Thomas and the other Disciples. He was not ghostly but rather of flesh and bone, (Luke 24:39) and He even told Thomas to touch the holes the spikes of the crucifixion made in His hands and feet.
Then, in His grand finale, He departed earth as we will one day:
Acts 1:9, "After He said this, He was taken up before their very eyes and a cloud hid Him from their sight. They were looking intently into the sky where He was going when suddenly 2 men dressed in white stood beside them. Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus who has been taken from you into heaven will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."
The promise of His return is fascinating subject matter for another day, but today the Holy One has had me focus on His glorious translation and what a glorious translation it was. One that we, who believe in Jesus and call Him Lord, are set to experience ourselves one day.
The Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?
Not one of us has the ability to stop the deterioration process. It is a principle of the flesh just like the principle of gravity is to the things of our material realm.
The Holy One speaks as I wake up pondering the sadness of the hard reality of flesh mortality. "Your spirit is ageless and one day your body will be too." For me and all my old friends who share a lifetime of wonderful memories, we still relate to one another as if we are in our 30's. In our minds we still "feel" that we are at that age even though the mirror tells us a different story.
God's Word exhorts us to live out our lives in light of eternity. The Holy Spirit reminds me that someday I will experience a glorious translation that involves an immortal body and one that will replace the mortal worn out one I now inhabit.
Old age has its perks. The body no longer so easily co-operates with things that, in our younger years, would lead to trouble. We can still sin in our minds throughout our mortal existence but the body is less yielding as we age. And, there is more time to think and meditate on what lies ahead; more time to see the danger of youthful folly and the consequences that made for regrettable but profound life lessons. But the truly best part about the age of "more time to think" is spending it with the Holy one and reflecting on all the wonderful promises in His Word.
Isaiah 46:4, "Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He. I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will sustain you and I will rescue you." When I think about my rescue, I cannot help but see that I will need to escape the tent that houses my spirit and is breaking down with time.
The whole subject of our bodies being made up of the very chemicals of the earth we walk upon is fascinating and supports the Creation story in the book of Genesis. But the chilling words the Creator spoke to Adam on that fateful day are full of prophetic sorrow. Gen 3:19, "By the sweat of your brow you will eat of your food until you return to the ground. From dust you are and to dust you will return." The indictment was in, the penalty for rebellion was written in the dust from whence man was formed.
BUT GOD...
Who so loved the world and knew in advance what man would do and how he would fail, provided for the disaster, with the ultimate plan for rescue: kill the body and save the soul.
All that separates us from the Creator is bound up in our flesh. We have the ability to valiantly protect and justify our carnal life or separate ourselves from its corruption. We can take the hand of our Savior who promises to rescue us from all that represents death to our soul, and embrace a wild and crazy supernatural life that is eternal, forever, and without end.
For me, it is a no-brainer. Since the body will die anyway, why not leap into all the possibilities of an endless future with the most incredible Being one could ever imagine?
The questions flow and while there is not any real answers to satisfy my curiosity about the body I will someday receive, the clues abound if I take the time to investigate scripture.
I think about creation and the very first man and woman. I think about the resurrection and Jesus as the first and only example we have of an immortal body translated from a mortal dead one. What I notice is the age at creation and resurrection. Adam and Eve were Created as mature adults, in their "prime" if you will. Jesus died and was resurrected at approximately 33 years, again as an adult and in His prime as we might define "prime". It seems reasonable then, that I will translate into a glorious body that represents my "prime".
As my brain thinks in a mature yet ageless time frame, I delight to hope for a body that would be the same, If we are to live forever in a place that is timeless, it would make sense that our body be matched up with our soul and spirit that is eternal as well.
For now there is this season of confinement in a flesh body destined to pass away and I cannot help but wonder why we hold onto it so tightly especially as the testimonies of Jesus, (our model and hope) post resurrection are glorious.
Accounts of His life after death tell us that He was visible to all. He appeared and moved from place to place. He walked with the Disciples on the road to Emmaus. He entered the upper room undetected to chat with Thomas and the other Disciples. He was not ghostly but rather of flesh and bone, (Luke 24:39) and He even told Thomas to touch the holes the spikes of the crucifixion made in His hands and feet.
Then, in His grand finale, He departed earth as we will one day:
Acts 1:9, "After He said this, He was taken up before their very eyes and a cloud hid Him from their sight. They were looking intently into the sky where He was going when suddenly 2 men dressed in white stood beside them. Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus who has been taken from you into heaven will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."
The promise of His return is fascinating subject matter for another day, but today the Holy One has had me focus on His glorious translation and what a glorious translation it was. One that we, who believe in Jesus and call Him Lord, are set to experience ourselves one day.
The Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?
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