2 Corinthians 5

2 Corinthians 5

“So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.” – 2 Corinthians 5:9

As someone who can feel many pulls on my life and attention and heart, I was recently blessed by the simplicity of priorities in this verse. It’s also interesting to look at the previous verse (“Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” – 2 Corinthians 5:8) and realize that the home that Paul refers to here is after we have died and are with the Lord, which even further clarifies our priorities.

Because of Christ’s righteousness being credited to our account when we believe (“And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.” – Romans 4:5), I do not aim to please Him in order to counterbalance or outweigh my sin, but I’m able to bring Him joy in the same way a child brings joy to a parent. I can tend to struggle with putting too much weight on the opinions and expectations of others and so this verse is a breath of fresh air for me: my job is honor and please an audience of One.