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.

2 Corinthians 5:1

We often miss having an eternal or Kingdom perspective. We see the here and now and don’t remember that God is telling a story that started before we existed and will carry on long past our presence on this Earth.

The Apostle Paul had not only found his faith, he had found a whole new perspective. He had come to a place in his life where he could write, “We are confident and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8). In the context of that statement, he contrasts this age and the coming age as sharply as he does anywhere (verses 1-10).

Here is how he characterizes the contrast. At present, we live in an earthly tent, but when it is destroyed, “we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands” (v. 1). Our present state makes us feel naked, but in that day we will be clothed (2-3). Now we are mortal, subject to death, but then our mortality will be “swallowed up by life” (4).

In light of all this, the apostle writes, “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” (6-7). Is this how you think? Would you prefer to be in heaven than on earth, or do you think in terms of goals you still need to pursue in this life?

To live with our eyes on the coming age is to live by faith (6-7). And it is to “make it our goal to please the Lord, 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” (9-10). We are to live by faith, and our goal is to please the Lord. We need to adopt this attitude. We need to live with eternity’s values in view and live in the vast landscape of eternity rather than the narrow room of this time. It is having an eternal perspective that can help us overcome today. Knowing that God is doing a work in us, encouraging us to follow Him with everything we have and feel. Knowing that one day He will wipe away all our tears and pain will be no more- David Chadwick

“An eternal perspective means that we believe God is in control of everything—and we let that truth permeate our thoughts and actions.”

David Chadwick says in Moving Beyond Anxiety