"Just a Tent!"

 "For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, that have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity." (Ecclesiastes 3:19 KJV)

  ""Even a tree has more hope! If it is cut down, it will sprout again and grow new branches. Though its roots have grown old in the earth and its stump decays, at the scent of water it will bud and sprout again like a new seedling. But when people die, their strength is gone. They breathe their last, and then where are they? As water evaporates from a lake and a river disappears in drought, people are laid to rest and do not rise again. Until the heavens are no more, they will not wake up nor be roused from their sleep."" (Job 14:7-12 NLT)

 This is an age-old question: "What happens to you when you die?" For the non-believer, the point is not really something they want to discuss, as they really don't want to think about it; rather, they would just like to live this life to the fullest, and not concern themselves with the ever-after. 

 In short, this is about this body in which we currently inhabit, which, if you are a true believer, then you have come to the understanding that it is only a tent in which your soul lives within; when this tent is done, it will decompose, just as every other creature's body, that dwells upon the earth! "By the sweat of your brow will you have food and eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return." (Genesis 3:19 NLT)

 Notwithstanding, this tent is not to be abused, disregarded, or treated as though it has no value; as long as we are alive, this tent is to be used as a vessel of praise to God, to show fourth the work of His hands! Yes, we have a soul that lives on and on, long after this body is laid to rest; but this temporary shell we have been given has a purpose and a calling, to be a vessel worthy enough to express the love that we have been given!

 How are you doing with any of that? Sometimes I feel as though I have been doing what I should, and sometimes I feel as though I am a complete failure; almost as if that which I have already done, becomes unraveled, and it is like discarded film that lays on the cutting room floor! We cannot control what happens in this crazy world, but we can do our best to control what happens in ourselves: that is the very least we can do...

"And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice - the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." (Romans 12:1-2 NLT)