Lives like Tents

Went to Matthew's Grandmother's wake last night and the preacher gave a exhortation for the late Mdm Yap... I liked the imagery that he used. He likened our earthly lives to a Tent... well not he, but Paul...

1> For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
2> For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling,
3> if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked.
4> For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.
5> He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee
6> So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord,
7> for we walk by faith, not by sight.
8> Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
9> So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.
10> For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
2 Corinthians 5:1-10

And i thot that the points he raised here were quite good... The image of a tent, the ones we see at East Coast, are temporal. We pitch up a tent only to stay a few nights. The dwelling isn't very comfortable, it's a make do thing while we await to return home. We set up tent to brave the winds and the rain, the trials of life that beat upon the flimsy frail body of our tent. It gives us a place to withstand these things but we know that once they are over, one day, we will take down our tent and go home.
It's not only temporal but it's not perfect. The material a tent is made of is fragile and can be broken. Each day of our lives, we waste away toward that day when we will go home. To a home built with bricks and stone, structure and form. Perfect nonetheless as compared to whatever tentage we have now. When we pack up this tent, we will go home to a body that is perfect and holy, unbreakable and true.

While we are here, we groan... we groan coz we want to go home, we groan coz it's not comfortable, there are mosquitoes, flies, sand, wind, rain.... but in our home, we will be safe, comforted, protected and we will be rejoicing for there are no longer any needs to groan. We will not be sick, we will not be hurt, we will not be sad for no sorrow and no pain is in the heavenly realm of God.

God has given us the Holy Spirit as a gaurantee... it's like placing a deposit on a big expensive item. we place a deposit to show we're serious about this purchase. To show that we will one day finish the payment and bring this piece of furniture home. God has yet to complete our payment and bring us home. He paid the deposit of Christ' death and the Holy Spirit to promise us that He is serious about this purchase and that He will one day finish the payment and call us home.

Yup. jus some points that i recall from his short exhortation. It really does sound true and comforting to know that we may move houses 10 times in our lifetime, maybe even more, but there is one permanent move that we will make which will finish all the previous moves. And that is to move to be with God in Heaven.

Brethren, take comfort to know that the Lord of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the same God of you. He is the same, yesterday, today and forever and there is nothing in this world that can take His love from you. Although we await our home going to be with Him in glory, let's make the best of our time here on earth. To serve Him, preach His Word and help other people have a home to go to when they unpitch their tents. Let's not be selfish campers just waiting for the camping trip to be over. Let's be people on the way home and willing to stop by and show others the way back home too.

May God bless you as you read this and may the Lord cause you to meditate upon His whispers in your life.