Looking forward to heaven1Now we are assured that when this earthly tent we live in is destroyed, when we die physically and have finished with these present bodies, we have a new home to look forward to in heaven, a house that has not been constructed with human hands, but an eternal body!2We grow tired of our present bodies, longing for the time when we will be clothed with our new heavenly bodies.3We will not feel exposed then as we do now.4In this present body we struggle and feel burdened by our sufferings; but our spirits will have new spiritual bodies in heaven. Our mortal lives will give way to the immortal, to eternal life.5God has made us His children for this very reason. This is proved by the fact that He has already given us His eternal Spirit, the guarantee of our future destiny.6Therefore we have good cause to be confident, no matter what the situation; for we know that while we live in these present bodies we are not yet at one with the Lord in our heavenly bodies.7But we live by faith in what He has promised, not in what we see happening at present.8I repeat, we can have absolute confidence that it will be much better when we have finished with these present bodies and have been taken home to be with the Lord eternally.9This being the case, we have made it our aim to please Him in every way possible, both now in this life and in the life that is to come.10For we all have to come before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us will receive the right reward for what he or she has done in this present body. And He will determine what has been good and what has been bad in His eyes.
Scripture quoted by permission. The passage above is taken from THE TRUTH VERSION. Copyright © 2009 by Colin Urquhart. All rights reserved worldwide. (The Truth New Testament)