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2 Corinthians 5:9
ESV So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.
NIV So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.
NASB Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.
CSB Therefore, whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to be pleasing to him.
NLT So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him.
KJV Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.
NKJV Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.

What does 2 Corinthians 5:9 mean?

Paul has written honestly and transparently that he would rather be at home with the Lord in eternity than to continue through the suffering and pain of this life (2 Corinthians 5:8). He is not suicidal, though. His point is not that he actively seeks out death, nor that he has an overpowering urge to end his own life. He simply believes the gospel and understands how much better heavenly life will be than this temporary one in these temporary bodies. Until he gets there, though, he will keep going with the mission God has given him for this life.

Now Paul boils his goals—his "aim," or his intention—down to one single thing. He wants to please Christ. Whether here in difficult earthly life, or at home with Christ in glorious eternity, he wants to please Christ. That includes how he lives, what he says, and in every other way. That is Paul's ultimate purpose.
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