Tent Dwellers

“Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands...For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened.” 2 Co: 1, 4

I don’t know about you but I have stayed in a tent before and I dreadfully missed all of the comforts of home. It never felt right, welcoming or lasting. I knew that it was only temporary and thankful for that fact. I longed for my front door which offered warmth, protection and security.

Paul was a tentmaker by trade and used this analogy as an analogy of something temporary to be replaced with something permanent. Our bodies were never created with the intent of being permanent for our earthly existence is only temporary. When I consider the differences between a tent and a building I am thankful that God has prepared a heavenly building for which we will finally call home. While tents are a good way to experience a small slice of time a building offers the lasting comforts of existence. A tent has no foundation and is unable to sustain long term use. A building with its lasting solid foundation stands up with endurance and permanence.

While we exist in our earthly tents Christ has built an eternal temple within our hearts to give us a deposit of our heavenly structure. “…and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” 2 Co. 1:22

There is nothing pleasurable about the earthly tent when stacked against the deposit we are to receive at our departure from earth. Departure from earth is about as far from death as we can get.

An earthly departure from anything ensures an eternal entry into everything.