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The Believer’s Hope, Part 4

1 Corinthians 15:53 “For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put
on immortality.”

Living in Wisconsin for the past 3 years, I have noticed several distinct advantages over living in southern New Mexico, but there are challenges as well. For instance, I am in an ongoing battle with winter for my car’s survival. All of the salt used to combat ice on the roadways has taken its toll, and I fear that it will rust out long before it breaks down mechanically.

Of course, a rusty car is just a reminder that everything in this world is slowly but surely spiraling downward. Food spoils before we can eat it, despite our best efforts at refrigeration and preservation. Our homes require constant maintenance to keep them from falling apart, and our bodies no longer function as well as they did just a few years ago.

The two words that Paul uses to describe our physical bodies are “corruptible” and “mortal.” These words are essentially synonyms, declaring that we are death-doomed, something of which we are all quite aware. Even at our best, we are just only moments away from death, because the very flesh in which we live has been corrupted by sin.

Yet we have no reason to live in fear, and the words of Charles Spurgeon may help us to put this into perspective: “Let us watch the Master’s call. Let us not dread the question–who next, and who next? Let none of us start back as though we hoped to linger longer than others….Let us be willing to be dealt with just as our Lord pleases. Let no doubt intervene; let no gloom encompass us. Dying is but going home.”

Scriptures to read: 2 Corinthians 5:1-5; Psalm 16:1-11