Today’s passage: 2 Corinthians 5:1-10
Helpful thoughts:
- This passage is a direct continuation of the thoughts from the latter portion of chapter 4.
- In this life, we can overcome temporary hardships with eternity in view. But, that doesn’t mean we never groan! In this “tent” (Our earthly bodies) we groan.
- To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. When followers of Christ close their eyes in death, they enter into the presence of the Lord!
- Knowing what we do about God, about eternity, about the judgment (And our opportunity for reward by the grace of God), we make it our aim to please God in everything we do.
Questions to consider:
- Why is it important to know that we do (and even should) have times of groaning in this life? What are things in this life that cause us to groan? Is it right and healthy to force a smile on our face even when we are in times of groaning in the midst of this sin-cursed world? Should we quickly assume when someone is saddened for a time that they don’t have the joy of the Lord in their life at all?
- What are some reasons for joy in this passage that can help us to endure and even see victory in and through times of groaning?
- What does it mean to do everything with the desire to be pleasing to God? How can that godly desire be applied to even the “mundane” things in life? How wonderful is it to know that for the Christian, the judgment seat of Christ is a place of reward, since all our sin has already been judged in full (Romans 8:1)?