A soul on loan...

My own spirit or soul was a gift from God the day I was conceived. And as I read Paul's letter in 2 Corinthians 5 and other passages in Ecclesiastes, I realize that it is really just here on earth temporarily.

Paul's words in verses 1-5, "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."

It is comforting to know that in addition to our own spirit, we can pray for God's Holy Spirit to live within us now as a 'guarantee of what is to come' so that the part of us that is mortal can be absorbed into life (or 'swallowed up by life') as Paul writes. Upon searching the internet, some people like to say 'He has given His Spirit...as a guarantee...or as a first installment...of future bliss.'

Personally, I like the way Solomon put it. He was probably one of the wisest men, who lived before Christ came to Earth. Basically, Solomon's message was 'Life not centered on God is purposeless and meaningless.' He went on to say in Ecclesiastes 12, 7 "and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it."

So here's the difficult part to wrap our brains around. Who is Doug Gammage...is he the mortal flesh we see now...the spirit God planted into his body at conception, or both? I realize we see the mortal person, and all of our thoughts of them in this life center around those mortal earthly images.

Paul's words in verses 6 through 9 really nail it down..."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."

OK, so we have no idea what our immortal body will look like, and we don't have to know, but our spirit will be with Him forever...just keep in mind how Solomon summed it all up at the end of Ecclesiastes "Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil."


I close with the beginning words of my favorite Psalm...103, (shown right) in the form of wire art created and framed by my daughter Lisa for Father's Day 2013.