Day 670: Read today's devotional on Bible Gateway. Made NewWhat I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever. But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies. Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:50-57) ReflectBecause Christ rose from the dead, he is a life-giving Spirit. This means that he entered into a new form of existence. He is the source of the spiritual life that will result in our resurrection. Christ’s new glorified human body now suits his new glorified life—just as Adam’s human body was suitable to his natural life. When we are resurrected, God will give us a transformed, eternal body suited to our new eternal life. Our present body is perishable and prone to decay. Our resurrection body will be transformed. The spiritual body will not be limited by the laws of nature. This does not necessarily mean we’ll be super people, but our body will be different from and more capable than our present earthly body. Our spiritual body will not be weak, will never get sick, and will never die. RespondIf you could select your own body, what kind would you choose—strong, athletic, beautiful? Paul explains that you will be recognizable in your resurrected body, yet it will be better than you can imagine, for it will be made to live forever. Though waiting for these new bodies can be difficult sometimes as you contemplate earthly limitations (aging, illness), God provides grace as you wait. |