FRIDAY: LIFE DOESN'T STOP HERE

Nov 18, 2022
2 min read

Thank You, Father, for guiding me through this week. I’m so glad that not only is my future secure in Heaven, but my present is also secure with the Holy Spirit, Your personal guarantee to me of my eternity with You.

2 Corinthians 5:6-10

Therefore, we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

Confidence is a wonderful thing. If I have confidence, I can do things I couldn’t do without it. I can speak with people I used to be afraid of. I can love people without worrying whether they will return my love. Confidence is freedom to follow the Holy Spirit wherever He leads.

Paul’s declaration of confidence in this passage is that life is eternal…it doesn’t skip a beat. It’s not like we die and are transformed into a state of nonexistence. Paul states emphatically that the moment we die, we are transported directly to our new home. He states if he is at home in his body here on earth, then he is physically away from the Lord. He prefers to be to be away from this temporary existence and transported to his eternal existence. Considering this, I should be living to please the Lord no matter where He places me.

THINK ABOUT THESE THINGS: I would love it if I knew that I pleased God in everything I do. I also know that this isn’t so while I am here on this earth…I will always fall short of being totally full of faith and obedient in this body and with this mind.

However, my hope is not lost! With Jesus, all things are possible. Jesus died, so God could see me as perfect and justified in His sight. This is important because Paul states one day everybody will appear before the judgement seat of Christ. God will search my heart to see if the Holy Spirit dwells there.

As we learned earlier, the Holy Spirit is a deposit of the Lord justifying my salvation and taking me to heaven. I will also be judged with heavenly rewards based on my obedience to the Holy Spirit while on earth. Literally, the good I do will be judged based on my obedience to Him and His Word.

Lord, please guide me today and help me to be obedient to You alone!

May you be blessed,

Chaplain Wayne Ruckman