I Can Only Imagine

Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

My name is Xochitl Dixon. I'll be sharing a personal story in today's reading, I Can Only Imagine. I settled into the church pew behind a woman as the worship team began playing, I Can Only Imagine. Raising my hands, I praise God as a woman's sweet soprano voice harmonized with mine. After telling me about her health struggles, we decided to pray together during her upcoming cancer treatments. A few months later, Louise told me she feared dying.

Leaning onto her hospital bed, I rested my head next to hers, whispered a prayer, and quietly sang our song. I Can Only Imagine what it was like for Louise when she worshipped Jesus face to face just a few days later. The Apostle Paul offered comforting assurance for his readers who were facing death in 2 Corinthians 5. The suffering experienced on this side of eternity may cause groaning, but our hope remains anchored to our heavenly dwelling, our eternal existence with Jesus. Though God designed us to yearn for everlasting life with Him, His promises are meant to impact the way we live for Him now. As we live to please Jesus, while waiting for Him to return or call us home, we can rejoice in the peace of His constant presence. What will we experience the moment we leave our earthly bodies and join Jesus in eternity?

We can only imagine. Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from 2 Corinthians 5 verses 1-10. For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven not built by human hands. Meanwhile, we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked.

For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed, but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now, the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. Therefore, we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body, we are away from the Lord. For we live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please Him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. Let's pray. Loving God, thank you for promising to be with us on earth and for all eternity. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.