Live Accordingly

DEVOTION

1 CORINTHIANS

LIVE ACCORDINGLY

1 Cor 15:50-53

50 I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.

NIV

There is more to this, but we should see this part first for what great joy this should bring to our hearts and what incredible comfort to our minds. It is doubtful that any of us believers actually think we are going to get to heaven in our present condition, which is being in this body. We are told here that truth, and we surely believer it. But this part about not all of us sleeping may not be as believable as we think it is. If we believed we are the ones who would not sleep because Jesus was coming back for us during our lifetime, we might live a little different than we are, well in actuality we might live a lot different than we are. What if we knew for sure that Jesus was coming and we would be changed in a flash, in a twinkling of an eye at some point in our life and we would not experience death? We still would not know the exact day, month or year, but we knew we would not die, but be changed into something imperishable. How would that effect our actions, our behaviors, our thinking? Would that make a difference in our ambitions, our goals, or our plans for our future? It would appear from the way most of us live, we truly do not believe we will hear the last trumpet with our perishable ears. But is there any difference between the dead being raised and us being changed? Both are the ones who Jesus is coming back for. Both are the ones who will put off perishable for the imperishable. Both will exchange mortal for immortal. The only difference is one is asleep the other is awake when it happens. So then should we not live accordingly, no matter is we are the ones asleep or awake? Should we not base all our ambitions, all our goals and plans on this event, this fact? Yet why do so many spend so much energy on ambitions, goals and plans on this perishable life? Yes, we are told to occupy until his return, at least which is what Jesus was saying in the parable about the nobleman and his servants. But that is about doing with what he gives us for the benefit of him, his kingdom, not for our benefit. So we most occupy, we must put to good use what gifts of the Spirit God has determined to give us for the benefit of the Kingdom of God. That is occupying until Jesus returns. Are we doing that? Or are we occupying for our own benefit. We not only boast in our own achievements, but we boast in our children’s and our grandchildren’s. Should we not be boasting in our Lord? He is coming back for those who boast in Him. He is coming back! If we are truly born again than we should be boasting in Him. We should be living for Him. We should be planning for our future with Him. We should live accordingly.