Investing in God's Purposes

2 Corinthians 5:1-5

1 For we know that if our temporary, earthly dwelling is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal dwelling in the heavens, not made with hands. 2 Indeed, we groan in this body, desiring to put on our dwelling from heaven, 3 since, when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4 Indeed, we groan while we are in this tent, burdened as we are, because we do not want to be unclothed but clothed, so that mortality may be swallowed up by life. 5 And the One who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the Spirit as a down payment.

From our Life Values study guide:

The word destroyed, or dissolved, used here means taking down a tent. Here Paul used it to refer to our own death. We groan because we yearn for our eternal home. Paul used the term, swallowed up, because he wanted to give a good visual description of the end of death.

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How often do you think of our whole life on earth as a trial? Maybe it can be more easily likened to when we are physically preparing for a contest or a difficult task. Our physical body "groans" so to speak, because it's limits are taxed. When someone comments that "today was a real struggle," we understand they probably had a bad day, but even on our best day, our spirits should tell us that there is something that is so much better that is yet to come.

Have a Spirit-filled week!

Discern the Truth

The Bible study verses are from 1 Corinthians 2:12-16

12 Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who comes from God, so that we may understand what has been freely given to us by God. 13 We also speak these things, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things to spiritual people. 14 But the unbeliever does not welcome what comes from God's Spirit, because it is foolishness to him; he is not able to understand it because it because it is evaluated spiritually. 15 The spiritual person, however, can evaluate everything, yet he himself cannot be evaluated by anyone. 16 For who has known the Lord's mind, that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.

From our Life Values study guide.

The spirit of the world stands in opposition to God's will. Believers receive God's wisdom through the Spirit, and it affects how we live and what we say. Unbelievers may make fun of believers but their evaluations mean nothing compared to God's.

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Children often make mistakes because their judgment is not fully developed. Even as young adults, our children make mistakes, sometimes serious ones, because they don't fully understand the implications of their decisions. They, and we, should not look to friends or family members as the final word on the important decisions we make in our lives, but let the Spirit of God guide us as well as His word.