2 Corinthians 5--"Our heavenly dwelling"

The word for tent here actually means what it says, but is used figuratively for the human body.  Paul is feeling the pull of eternity on his earthly body;  he's tired as he faces trials and tribulations.  He knows what's waiting for him in heaven--a new body, made by God, not dependent on human healing (the word for "not made with hands" is the same root as "chiropractor:), with no thought of the pressure of coming death.  Paul longs to put on his eternal body.  But remembering back to the pattern of death and then resurrection, he admits that spending too much time thinking ahead leaves him vulnerable (naked)  to discontentment. He also admits that it would be a blessing to feel the embrace of heaven, even over his "old clothes" of earth.  But  wait!!  He realizes that he does have that in the Holy Spirit, a down payment from God Himself for Paul's new "home" in heaven.  That thought once again gives him boldness to go forward. Paul walks by loyalty in what he knows, not what he sees.   No matter where he is, he just wants to please God.  Because Paul knows that he will stand before the judgment seat of Christ, answering for all he's done, he gets back to work!  And that work is persuading others of the Good News.   The love of Christ has taken their hearts captive to the mission of sharing this truth--everyone will die, but Jesus died for all.  The ministry of reconciliation means Jesus exactly exchanged His righteousness, His blood, for our guilt.  As Paul looks around at the people Jesus has impressed upon him to minister, he no longer sees them from a position of human nature, but as the new creation they are, or can be.  Jesus, the very word and image of God, literally Emmanuel, came to draw the world to God through His own life, death, and resurrection.  He didn't declare humanity "not worth it" based on the human nature of willful disobedience, but came anyway.  And Paul is an ambassador to that ministry, pleading with the readers to be drawn back into harmony with God.  And that can only be done through the Gospel--The sinless One becoming sin on behalf of the sinful human race so that we might come into the righteousness of God.  

I sometimes joke that when I was younger, the thought of death was so scary, but I turned 50 this year, and the aches and pains are starting to settle in and I said "ok, I can kinda see it."  (Don't tell my anxiety I said that....) The thought of troubles are close in our minds, as we've said and resaid already.  It would be easy to look to and long for heaven and forget about our aim here on earth.  This is our mission--There are people, even our enemies, that Jesus looked at and said "you are worth coming for".  We, like Paul, are entrusted with telling them that.  It's way too easy to look at them from the angle of human nature, willfully disobedient sinners.  But so were we.  And sometimes so ARE we.  Verse 17 changes me "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has passed away; behold the new has come."  All this is ordained by God, we may not see it but we know it.  So, as ambassadors, let's follow our mission, pleading with others to allow God to draw them back to Himself.