Read: 2 Corinthians 5:1-10
We have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. (v. 1)
In college, I took a course that included watching Citizen Kane which, due to my youth and inexperience, I failed to appreciate. I thought, Why would the richest man in the world go to his grave pining for a sled? I don’t get it. Now, in middle age, I get it. I can see how someone might spend their life trying to recapture a childhood memory. Our lost possessions and places represent a deeper longing: the longing for home.
One of God’s dearest promises is to provide a true home. In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul writes, “We have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (v. 1). But there’s a problem: if our true home is waiting for us in the next life, we may never feel fully at home in this one. Paul continues, “In this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling” (v. 2). Yet God gives us a piece of our true home now to carry with us, and carry us along. Paul concludes, “He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee” (v. 5).
So although our life in this world will always be infused with a kind of homesickness, we have two comforts: Jesus has prepared a home that is everything we want home to be, and our hearts contain the host of our true home, the Spirit of our heavenly Father.
As you pray, ask Jesus for the comfort of home.
About the Author
Ben Van Arragon is the Minister of Worship and Leadership at Plymouth Heights Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He preaches and teaches the Bible in church, online, and anywhere else he has the opportunity.
