Weather report from heaven: Sunny and bright with an abundance of light, and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Scripture- “ I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.”- Romans 8:18-19
Insight: As we continue our series on Understanding The Times, today let’s consider in more detail the great hope we have as Christians because of the sufficiency, strength and power of Jesus Christ and the eternal nature of God’s Kingdom. Today’s verses focus on the promise that we have that all of our present sufferings, and there are a lot of them currently ( can I get an amen from the congregation ) will pale in comparison to the coming glory that is ours in Christ Jesus. Our present sufferings are very real, and can be quite painful, but they are temporary in nature. The glory that is coming is eternal and will overwhelm all of our temporary sufferings to the point that we won’t even remember them. Proper perspective is required in all of our struggles on this earth, as Jesus himself told us in John 16:33 “ that we would have troubles,” but to take heart because He has overcome the world. In 1 Peter 4:12-14, Peter spells out our plight as Christians living in this fallen world in an even more direct way when he says “ Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice in as much as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.”
We must shift our focus from our present difficulties to our future glory, like Paul did in order to survive the difficult trials that come upon. It doesn’t necessarily make it easier, the pain in this broken world can hurt more than imaginable, more than we can bear on our own, but we must remember that Christ goes with us in our trials and suffering, and Christ went before us in bearing the weight of our sin and shame upon His shoulders on the Cross. That is our hope, our only hope, that allows us to persevere when life smacks us upside our head. I know so many who are suffering right now from untold pain around families being divided, Covid related illness or death, lives being turned upside down from financial pain and loss of work. No one is really immune from the complications that have come upon the earth. We all have pain, sadness, brokenness. It is in these exact times that we find the strength of Jesus as our Anchor in the storm, and we can remember that the coming glory is more than we can even imagine. Paul was given a glimpse of Heaven after his encounter with Jesus on the Damascus Road and in 2 Corinthians 12:4 he attempted to describe it by saying he saw “inexpressible things.” We can only imagine what Paul saw that left him unable to describe its glory in human terms, but we must remember there is a room being held for us who believe in Jesus, and that one day He will come to take us to that place so we can be with Him where He is. (John 14:2-4)
Prayer: Jesus, thank you that you have prepared a palace for us that is more glorious than we can even begin to fathom. Help us to use the thoughts of that future glory to carry us through our current struggles. In your name we pray. Amen!
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