Morning Devotional
May 10, 2005
"A New House" 
    by Don Emmitte

For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down--when we die and leave these bodies--we will have a home in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long for the day when we will put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. For we will not be spirits without bodies, but we will put on new heavenly bodies. Our dying bodies make us groan and sigh, but it's not that we want to die and have no bodies at all. We want to slip into our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by everlasting life. God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit. (2 Corinthians 5:1-5 NLT).

 

By the time you read this devotional we will have signed the papers on our new house in Apex, North Carolina. It is quite different than the one we left in Weatherford, Texas! The construction is different in many ways. The exterior is siding rather than brick. It is a two-story design rather than single story. The lot is much smaller. And, there are LOTS of trees!

 

With all these differences there is one thing that remains the same. It is our HOME, at least on this earth. You see, a house is a home when your family surrounds you. For me this means being reunited with Mary after three months. Of course, I have enjoyed being with my son and daughter-in-law. The twins have been a wonder to watch as they have changed through the weeks. But, there is nothing like being with the one that makes your life complete.

 

This is the impact of what the Apostle Paul is explaining in our reading this morning. As great as these days can be, they are nothing compared to that which awaits us in heaven. God has prepared us a place that far exceeds our ability to imagine the wonder of it.

 

In one of his books, A.M. Hunter, the New Testament scholar, relates the story of a dying man who asked his Christian doctor to tell him something about the place to which he was going. As the doctor fumbled for a reply, he heard a scratching at the door, and he had his answer. "Do you hear that?" he asked his patient. "It's my dog. I left him downstairs, but he has grown impatient, and has come up and hears my voice. He has no notion what is inside this door, but he knows that I am here. Isn't it the same with you? You don't know what lies beyond the Door, but you know that your Master is there." 

 

I am very excited about our new home in North Carolina. But it pales in comparison to the one waiting for us in heaven!