Like His Glorious Body

Your current body is not your final form. Paul is writing to believers whose citizenship is in heaven. He contrasts their present, humble bodies with a future reality. Our bodies are described as “lowly,” subject to weakness, sickness, and death. But Christ possesses a power that is able to subject all things to Himself. This same absolute power is the guarantee that He will completely refashion our physical bodies. They will be conformed to the pattern of His own resurrected, glorious body.

Do you ever feel weary in your physical body? The aches, the limitations, the aging process can be discouraging. But God’s promise is not an escape from the body, but the redemption of it. Your future is not to be a disembodied spirit. It is to have a body like Jesus. This change is like refining gold; the substance remains, but all impurities are burned away. You will still be you, but a glorified you. What worry can you release to Him today, knowing He holds the power to remake you completely?

How does the certainty of your future glorified body change the way you view your physical struggles today?

Lord Jesus, thank you for the promise that this weak body is not the end of the story. I trust in your power to make all things new, including me. Help me to live today with the hope of that glorious future. Amen.

For Roman citizens in Philippi, the idea of being conformed to the image of a supreme ruler was familiar. Paul uses this concept to show that our ultimate allegiance and identity are shaped by King Jesus.