The Heavenly Alternative

We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. - 2 Corinthians 5:8


Recently, I wished a young friend "happy birthday" and asked him how it felt to be a year older. His playful response? "Well, I guess it's better than the alternative!"

We laughed together, but I later stopped to think - is it really? Don't misunderstand me. I'm happy to live as long as the Lord allows me to live and to watch my kids and grandkids grow and experience life. I'm not excited about the inevitability of death. But as a believer, the alternative to getting older is heaven - and that's not bad!

In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul talks about the reality of living with the aches and pains of our physical bodies, our "tents" of flesh. But we should not live in despair about aging. In fact, the apostle calls us to just the opposite. He wrote, "We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord? (v.8). Confident! Pleased! Why? Because our alternative to earthly life is that we will present with the Lord - forever! The heavenly perspective of what awaits us can give us confidence for living now.

If you know Christ, His promise can give you what the hymnwriter called, "Strenth for today and bright hope for tomorrow." What a great alternative! - Bill Crowder


He's gone "to prepare a place for you,"
That where He is, "there you may be."
Our death is not the end of life -
We'll be with Christ eternally! - Hess

Death is gain because it means heaven, holiness, and Him!

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2 Corinthians 5:1-11

For we know that if the earthly house of our tent is dissolved, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal, in the heavens. For most assuredly in this we groan, longing to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven; if so be that being clothed we will not be found naked.

For indeed we who are in this tent do groan, being burdened; not that we desire to be unclothed, but that we desire to be clothed, that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now he who made us for this very thing is God, who also gave to us the down payment of the Spirit.

Being therefore always of good courage, and 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 of good courage, I say, and are willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be at home with the Lord.

Therefore also we make it our aim, whether at home or absent, to be well pleasing to him. For we must all be revealed before the judgement seat of Christ; that each one may receive the things in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

Knowing therefore the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are revealed to God; and I hope that we are revealed also in your consciences.

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