From Corruptible To Incorruptibility

1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” ~CSB
 
I attended the funeral of a great man this past Monday.  We were not biologically related but because he and my parents were so close in friendship, I always called him ‘Uncle’.  In my lifetime, I knew him as the ‘coolest’ man I’ve ever known.  From my middle school age to me being a grown man, he has always had the best advice.  He would let you know when you were wrong but in the calmest, coolest way possible.  He never got excited, and he always smiled.  He held any ‘man-position’ well in my eyes. Whether it be in the position of father, husband, brother, or friend, he was a master in being a man. Now, that is just my version of him.
 
Attending the funeral on Monday, I got to see how one man, that allowed God to use him in his life, affected so many people. The turnout of friends and family, in and out of town was amazing. Not to mention the testimonies of how he affected lives. And listening to all the love from his children, it was apparent he did not miss a beat in his spiritual walk. He was a man that had control of his spirituality so much so, that God’s presence in him was seen and felt by others around him.
 
My ‘Uncle’ is an extraordinary example of how we are all supposed to live. In 1 Corinthians 15, we find that there are changes we can make within ourselves while still living in the sinful flesh that attempts to steer us away from God’s will for our lives. In verse 53 the word says, “For this corruptible body must be clothed with incorruptibility…”
 
We must live our lives waking up every morning ready to meet the challenge of ‘living right’. Fighting the urges of confrontation with others because the flesh tells us to confront. Fighting the urges of not getting up when we fall, because we think we are at the end, and the struggle has defeated us. We must fight the urges of unforgiveness because the flesh continues to remind us of how we were hurt. This battle is already won when we say, “Lord, I can’t do this by myself. I need your healing to make me stronger.” This is when the flesh must bow down to a Higher Power and we spiritually transform from ‘corruptible’ to ‘incorruptible’.  This is how my ‘Uncle’ lived.
 
From this day on, spiritually move in God’s direction and allow him to help you to get your flesh in check. Hold on to verse 54 in realizing God’s promise of victory when it says, “…When this corruptible body is clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal body is clothed with immortality, then the saying that is written will take place: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
 
God has shown all of us in my ‘Uncle’, and in people like him, the promise of this victory. Because it is in their journey in Christ that we have witnessed them transform themselves. By allowing God to head their lives, changing their flesh from corruptible to incorruptible. And on Monday, his mortal was laid to rest, While God accepted him into immortality.   So let us learn from this great man of God to never quit in doing the Lord’s work. “…be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
 
May God continue to bless you with his peace, love, and guidance, as you journey in Jesus’ name.
 
Amen

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