50 Days of Wisdom

When we die, we can't think of ourselves as a disembodied spirit. We know ourselves as a body, as a contained spirit. And in heaven we'll be contained in an eternally glorious spiritual body, and that's what Paul longed for: what was holy, perfect, immortal, and the fullness of God's intention for his glorious life. Believers were intended forever to possess a body in heaven through which they can glorify God. And Paul says, "Until that comes, I'm not satisfied." Why? Because He knew the next body would be the best and the next life would be perfection. But he also knew that his next existence would fulfill God's purpose. Look at 2 Corinthians 5:5, "Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God." In eternity past, by God's sovereign election, He chose us. In time, He redeemed us. All of that in order that He might fulfill in us His purpose. The future for believers, beloved, is prepared by God in the past. It all started in eternity, when He made a covenant with the Son, when He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, and wrote our names in the Lamb's Book of Life, and that purpose of God in eternity past is not fulfilled until we get to heaven. His purpose was to predestine some to be made like Jesus Christ. Now, to be made like Jesus Christ, you would have to have a glorified body as well as a perfectly holy nature, because Christ is perfectly holy and He has a glorified resurrected body, doesn't He? So, to be made like Christ was God's purpose. And that's why everything in your life and mine as Christians works out for good, because God is moving us toward the fulfillment of His purpose, which is to make us like His Son. And He'll bring us all the way to the fulfillment of that purpose. But the purpose isn't fulfilled in justification; it's fulfilled in what? Glorification. It's only when we're glorified that we're made like Christ—made in the image of Christ, and that's God's purpose. We were chosen, predestined, justified, and sanctified to be glorified in order that we might be made like Christ. And to be made in His image means to have both a resurrection body as well as a perfectly holy spirit. And so Paul is looking at the purpose for which he exists. It transcends time. It's from eternity to eternity. Planned in eternity past, fulfilled in eternity future, and time is just a blip in the middle. Sometimes we lose sight of this and think we fulfill our purpose here; we don't. And when this life is all said and done, and you've done your very best, realize that that is a pittance compared to what God is going to make you into in the glory to come, because His purpose is so vastly beyond anything we could ever imagine. Listen, Paul faced death confidently because he knew that this was the unfolding of God's purpose, and once he got past death, the purpose would be fulfilled. But what also made Paul confident was at the end of verse 5: "God gave to us the Spirit as a pledge." The fact that the Holy Spirit lives in the life of a believer is God's pledge that His purpose will be fulfilled. The Holy Spirit is given as a guarantee that God is going to redeem His own possession and bring them to the praise of His glory. That's why we talk about eternal security. That's why it's ludicrous to believe that you could lose your salvation once you understand that this whole plan was set in motion in eternity past and will be brought to its fruition in eternity future, and you have the guarantee of the Holy Spirit living in you. You see, if you lost your salvation, whose glory would be diminished? God's. It would detract from His glory because He couldn't pull off His purpose. But the culmination of God's plan in redemption is to rescue His own possession and bring them to heaven so they can forever be testimonies to His amazing glory. Thus, all who are saved are saved forever because they will be brought to the intended purpose of God in redemption. And that's why all believers can face death confidently. Repent and believe! GTY.org (47-32) – Facing Death Confidently, Part 2

Today's Wisdom

Day: 1032

September 17, 2026

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Grace and peace,

My name is Mark Paul from Wauchula, Florida, and like the Apostle Peter said in 2 Peter 1:14, "I know that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent." Consequently, my goal is to leave a legacy that will continue to advance the kingdom of God long after I have departed. In other words, bear fruit for eternity. And by simply reading and sharing my free eBooks, you too become contributors to the advancement of His kingdom. Thank you for partaking in this endeavor, and I look forward to greeting you on heaven's shore.

The Truth in Love,

Mark Paul - Servant of God

Now grant, O Lord, that when the souls who read these books cast their eyes upon these lines, their minds may be illuminated and their consciences convinced and awakened, that they may see with their eyes, hear with their ears, and be converted so that You may heal them. Amen!