I die every day! That is certain, brothers and sisters, as my boasting of you – a boast that I make in Christ Jesus my Lord. If with merely human hopes I fought with wild animals at Ephesus, what would I have gained by it? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”
- I Corinthians 15:31-32
Let just get straight to the point where I’m confused. At first glance, I can’t even wrap my head around these verses.
Wait. Is that Shakespeare? No, it is Dave Matthews. Whah? How is it that I don’t know this passage of scripture?
Okay, back up. Time to research. I’m particularly fond of the NIV Faith in Action Study Bible; when I’m completely confused, the footnotes do wonders – page 1895, if you’re following along.
These lines are couched in a larger conversation about bodily resurrection. Not just the “ethereal spirits floating around” variety, but the full “we’re taking these bones with us” kind. Eek. Really? This is the body I’m taking with me? Forever? You’re kidding, right? I was kind of counting on that weightless, anti-gravity thing. Dang.
Basically, Paul is saying that if we aren’t raised, we may as well just give up, eat the buffet, sleep it off, and then do all it again tomorrow. Let’s all be carbohydrate zombies while we wait on the apocalypse.
Don’t act like you haven’t succumbed to a food coma. Or a hangover. Or some other kind of over-indulgence that left you feeling like you were walking waist-deep in mud. You have. Everyone has. But Paul’s argument is that we are going to be resurrected, in whole, in Christ Jesus. So we need to take care of these bodies and all this “human” stuff in such a way that we can focus on what matters.
It is time for a diet and exercise regimen that is easy to follow and you don’t have to think about it. It is time to clear out the clutter and get things organized so that you aren’t looking for your keys and your phone every time you leave the house. Seriously. Every. Time. It is time to stop talking about work/life balance and actually make the tough choices to achieve it. Okay – so maybe those are my things. My things that I need to manage so that they aren’t taking my focus off of the real stuff…God, marriage, family, parenting, friendships, leadership, accountability, character, sustainability…
Yes, really, I'm working on all of those. But, right now, I'm listening to Dave Matthews and drinking a glass of wine.
Is that wrong?
Blessings, Amy
Wait. Is that Shakespeare? No, it is Dave Matthews. Whah? How is it that I don’t know this passage of scripture?
Okay, back up. Time to research. I’m particularly fond of the NIV Faith in Action Study Bible; when I’m completely confused, the footnotes do wonders – page 1895, if you’re following along.
These lines are couched in a larger conversation about bodily resurrection. Not just the “ethereal spirits floating around” variety, but the full “we’re taking these bones with us” kind. Eek. Really? This is the body I’m taking with me? Forever? You’re kidding, right? I was kind of counting on that weightless, anti-gravity thing. Dang.
Basically, Paul is saying that if we aren’t raised, we may as well just give up, eat the buffet, sleep it off, and then do all it again tomorrow. Let’s all be carbohydrate zombies while we wait on the apocalypse.
Don’t act like you haven’t succumbed to a food coma. Or a hangover. Or some other kind of over-indulgence that left you feeling like you were walking waist-deep in mud. You have. Everyone has. But Paul’s argument is that we are going to be resurrected, in whole, in Christ Jesus. So we need to take care of these bodies and all this “human” stuff in such a way that we can focus on what matters.
It is time for a diet and exercise regimen that is easy to follow and you don’t have to think about it. It is time to clear out the clutter and get things organized so that you aren’t looking for your keys and your phone every time you leave the house. Seriously. Every. Time. It is time to stop talking about work/life balance and actually make the tough choices to achieve it. Okay – so maybe those are my things. My things that I need to manage so that they aren’t taking my focus off of the real stuff…God, marriage, family, parenting, friendships, leadership, accountability, character, sustainability…
Yes, really, I'm working on all of those. But, right now, I'm listening to Dave Matthews and drinking a glass of wine.
Is that wrong?
Blessings, Amy
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