August 28, 2009

“The mortal will be replaced by the immortal.” 1 Corinthians 15:53 (MSG)

Here’s a word picture that may help you. It’s kind of a mind twister, and not quite accurate but I find it somewhat accurate and helpful as a way to understand a believer’s life stages on his or her way to resurrection.

“At death God will download my software from my hardware and load my software into his hardward until the time comes when God will take my software and upload it onto new hardware where it will function perfectly.”

Let’s try this again:

“At death God will download my software (the “me” whom God created) from my hardware (my physical body) and load my software (my “me”) into his hardware (into God Himself, during a period of time that we call heaven or paradise, a time of temporary rest and refreshment) until the time comes when God will take my software (my “me”) and upload it onto new hardware (my new resurrected body which I will inhabit on the resurrected earth) where it (I and my new body unified into one) will function perfectly.”

So who gets the last word on human life? God! What happens to death? Swallowed up by resurrection!

Happy endings are not naïve fantasy, instead they are reflect the one concrete reality that permeates all of existence. I hope to the depths of my being that you are able to take this Good News into yourself and let it permeate all your waking, sleeping, thinking, feeling, working, walking around, interaction with others, life.

I love how one man put it. “I am neither an optimist nor a pessimist; Jesus Christ is risen from the dead.”