A Blessed Assurance
Reverend J. Loren Russell
2 Corinthians 5:2–8
For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life.
Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.
We are surrounded by beautiful and amazing architecture. The creativity of the architecture is astounding and most certainly, long lasting. There are structures that have amazed us for centuries with their intricate and lavish design. Sadly, some have been lost by the ravages of time or the destructive nature of mankind. Yet we still have reminders of their splendor, captured in the writings, paintings, and artistry of our ancestors.
Despite the opulence and grandeur of the creations of man, nothing compares to the magnificence of God’s creation, particularly the one He formed from the dirt of the earth and declared to be created in His own image. We are the crown jewel of creation that is compared to nothing.
At the beginning of this decade, we experienced what no one could predict and suffered what no one should have had to endure. We experienced COVID-19. The total number of people, no matter their standings in God’s sight, no matter how otherwise healthy, transitioned from time to eternity in the blink of an eye. God’s magnificent creation was dying like ancient structures, only this time, it was happening in a tidal wave of disease.
It was devastating to us, but not surprising to our God. The Apostle Paul reminds us that these earthly bodies are temporary. He describes them as an “earthly house” and a “tent.” Tents are not meant to be a place of permanent dwelling. He says that while we inhabit these bodies, our soul longs for the heavenly body not made by hands that are eternal in the heavens.
A Guarantee of Hope
And here is where our hope becomes our assurance. Paul says, “Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.”
The presence of the Holy Spirit within us is God’s guarantee and blessed assurance that this earthly existence is not the end of the story. We may be living in the land of the dying, but we are dying to get to the land of the living.
“That is our hope. That is our confidence. That is our blessed assurance.”
I know it doesn’t seem like it, but for those who died during that terrible pandemic, and for those of us who are still alive and have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, we can have the blessed assurance that we are “pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.”
That is our hope. That is our confidence. That is our blessed assurance.
Be Blessed!
Rev. J. Loren Russell is an associate minister at Goodwill Baptist Church and is the clergy officiant of the Evangelical Church of God, all in the Bronx. He is President/CEO of The JLR Company for Church Financial & Strategic Consulting (718-328-8096) and hosts Matters of Faith – The Radio Show on Monday nights from 8:00–10:00 PM on Facebook Live.
Be sure to Friend “Matters of Faith” on YouTube and email us at mattersoffaith.mof@gmail.com.
Order your copy of Matters of Faith: The eBook at www.smashwords.com/books/view/993177.A Blessed Assurance
Reverend J. Loren Russell
2 Corinthians 5:2–8
For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life.
Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.
We are surrounded by beautiful and amazing architecture. The creativity of the architecture is astounding and most certainly, long lasting. There are structures that have amazed us for centuries with their intricate and lavish design. Sadly, some have been lost by the ravages of time or the destructive nature of mankind. Yet we still have reminders of their splendor, captured in the writings, paintings, and artistry of our ancestors.
Despite the opulence and grandeur of the creations of man, nothing compares to the magnificence of God’s creation, particularly the one He formed from the dirt of the earth and declared to be created in His own image. We are the crown jewel of creation that is compared to nothing.
At the beginning of this decade, we experienced what no one could predict and suffered what no one should have had to endure. We experienced COVID-19. The total number of people, no matter their standings in God’s sight, no matter how otherwise healthy, transitioned from time to eternity in the blink of an eye. God’s magnificent creation was dying like ancient structures, only this time, it was happening in a tidal wave of disease.
It was devastating to us, but not surprising to our God. The Apostle Paul reminds us that these earthly bodies are temporary. He describes them as an “earthly house” and a “tent.” Tents are not meant to be a place of permanent dwelling. He says that while we inhabit these bodies, our soul longs for the heavenly body not made by hands that are eternal in the heavens.
A Guarantee of Hope
And here is where our hope becomes our assurance. Paul says, “Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.”
The presence of the Holy Spirit within us is God’s guarantee and blessed assurance that this earthly existence is not the end of the story. We may be living in the land of the dying, but we are dying to get to the land of the living.
“That is our hope. That is our confidence. That is our blessed assurance.”
I know it doesn’t seem like it, but for those who died during that terrible pandemic, and for those of us who are still alive and have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, we can have the blessed assurance that we are “pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.”
That is our hope. That is our confidence. That is our blessed assurance.
Be Blessed!
Rev. J. Loren Russell is an associate minister at Goodwill Baptist Church and is the clergy officiant of the Evangelical Church of God, all in the Bronx. He is President/CEO of The JLR Company for Church Financial & Strategic Consulting (718-328-8096) and hosts Matters of Faith – The Radio Show on Monday nights from 8:00–10:00 PM on Facebook Live.
Be sure to Friend “Matters of Faith” on YouTube and email us at mattersoffaith.mof@gmail.com.
Order your copy of Matters of Faith: The eBook at www.smashwords.com/books/view/993177.
