1 Corinthians 15:50-57 (NIrV)
Brothers and sisters, here is what I’m telling you. Bodies made of flesh and blood can’t share in the kingdom of God. And what dies can’t share in what never dies. Listen! I am telling you a mystery. We will not all die. But we will all be changed. That will happen in a flash, as quickly as you can wink an eye. It will happen at the blast of the last trumpet. Then the dead will be raised to live forever. And we will be changed. Our natural bodies don’t last forever. They must be dressed with what does last forever. What dies must be dressed with what does not die. In fact, that is going to happen. What does not last will be dressed with what lasts forever. What dies will be dressed with what does not die. Then what is written will come true. It says, “Death has been swallowed up. It has lost the battle.”
“Death, where is the victory you thought you had? Death, where is your sting?”
The sting of death is sin. And the power of sin is the law. But let us give thanks to God! He gives us the victory because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done.
Explanation:
I enjoy running, and I recently trained to run a 15k (which is 9.3 miles, in case you were wondering). I put a lot of time into preparing my body to be able to have the stamina to endure running for roughly two hours. On race day, I was feeling good. The run was going better than I had anticipated, until I hit mile eight. All of a sudden, my side began to cramp. I was not happy about the fact that my body in that moment was failing me. I had trained so hard and the finish line was so close; this was not the moment I needed my body to fall apart. Luckily, I got the cramp under control, and I was indeed able to finish the run.
I share this story because I think it is something we can all relate to. You may not be a runner, but I am sure at some point in your life your earthly body has failed you. Maybe it was a bad health report, an injury, or just the normal aches and pains that come with age. As we continue to walk this earth, our bodies will continue to break down, fall apart, and fail us. When sin entered the world, it took away our perfect bodies, and now we all experience pains, aches, and issues within our physical selves.
As discouraging as this is, we can still look forward with hope. Why? Because of today’s passage. When Christ returns, we will be changed in an instant! We will be made whole, new, and perfect. This includes our physical bodies. No more aches, no more pain, no more imperfections, but rather perfect bodies, perfect life, full perfection. I look forward to the day when I won’t have physical limitations, but will rather live in the perfect body God had designed for us to walk in from the beginning.
I hope this encourages you today. Whether you have recently dealt with a negative health report, have physical limitations, or are struggling as you get older, may this be a reminder to you that someday our physical bodies will no longer be a problem. We will be changed, made new, and will live in perfection for all eternity. Now, that is something to look forward to.
Application:
How have you seen your physical body fail you?
Why does this passage bring you hope?
What would your ideal, perfect body look like?
What do you think it will be like to have a perfect body, mind, soul, and spirit?
Prayer:
God, I thank You so much for the earthly body You have given to me. It has helped me accomplish so many wonderful things. And although this body gets sick and broken, I can look forward with hope, knowing one day it will all be made new. Thank You so much for giving us this reminder in Your word, that one day You will change us and make us new. Amen.
For Further Study:
Take some time today to make a list of all the things your body has helped you accomplish (i.e., giving birth, running a marathon, doing day-to-day tasks). I encourage you to then take some time to thank God for the physical body He has given you to use while here on the earth.