Tents and Houses

For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 Corinthians 5:1

Between skin cremes and exercise clubs, doctors visits and weight-loss plans it seems an incontestable statement that we spend a great deal of time and money on our bodies.  Repeated commands from television to "love our bodies" or "treat ourselves" seem to be part of the most common marketing messages of our time.  Yet, as believers, we know that these earthly bodies (Paul calls them "tents" - temporary dwellings!) are not our final destination.  There is much that lay ahead for the believer.  We care for our bodies as we do with any stewardship.  Our bodies are a gift from the Lord and should be treated in that way.  But we must never confuse the gift with the giver, for a better body is ahead for those who know Jesus Christ.  Once we have our new bodies our obsessive behaviors about these "old tents" will seem quite silly indeed.