Acts 18:1-3
Paul in Corinth
1 After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, 3 and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them.
2 Corinthians 5:1-10
Our Heavenly Dwelling
1Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, 3because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
6Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7We live by faith, not by sight. 8We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
St. Paul was a tentmaker, in his past...So St. Paul could make the comparison of our bodies to tents...As an old tent-maker, who had made many new tents, he knew that tents wear out, just like our bodies...We are only on this earth for a short while...Our bodies, or tents, are only temporary in nature, then we move on...I am not a tentmaker, but I would bet that a new tent is stronger than a forty or fifty year old tent...
More often, as we grow old our tents become problematic...We groan as they wear down and age...Taking care of an old tent is harder than taking care of a new tent...As our tents get older they become less flexible, and more brittle it seems...We groan about that...For the oldest of tents, we even become burdened by them...The older the tent the more repair work that is needed to keep it in shape and keep us comfortable in it...
When we are young, the young tents are vibrant and handle the wind and the elements well...We often do not think of our new future dwelling (in our youth), that will come from the LORD...As we age we are more inclined to long for His dwelling...It is rock solid...It, unlike the temporary tent, is eternal...
We should remember as long as we are at home in this tent or body, we are away from the LORD...
We live by faith and not by sight...Even though our eyes see how the world is and what is around us, it is our hope and faith that matters...Faith is how we should live...Our lives should be lived on our eternal hope and not what we see everyday here on earth...Live by the teachings of our LORD and Savior Jesus...He is our hope...
St. Paul tells us that no matter where we are in this tent or the dwelling God is preparing for us, our real goal should be in pleasing the Father...We all will appear before Jesus in the judgment seat, and each of us will be perfectly judged for the things we have done in these tents (while on earth) whether good or bad...
In our Father's house are many rooms, built by God...His rooms are built to last an eternity...The future for believers is heaven and a place we will live with God forever...Our Creator will make that place, heaven, a paradise...Nothing will be boring, because He can make all things new...
God has made us for this very purpose and given us a part of His Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing that this is to come (verse 5)...