The Hope of Glory

*Light*

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Nov 17, 2018
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Hello Family of God,

I was led by the Spirit to create this thread; and God's Divine Providence said that His Word will not return void (Isa. 55:11). The topic of this thread is to bring comfort to those who are going through tough times. All Christians will go through trials and hardships in their lives; for it is part and parcel of the Christian walk. And if not, then I would question if such a person is even saved -- or are not following in the steps directed by the Lord (cf. Ps. 37:23; Prov. 3:5; Isa. 30:21; Jn. 3:8; 16:13; Rom. 8:14; Gal. 5:25).

"Who will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:" (Romans 2:6-7)

"Blessed are they that [mourn]: for they shall be [comforted]." (Matthew 5:4)

The "mourning" [be attitude] must be understood in the light of Eternity. We Christians are just passing through this world as *sojourners* (1 Chron. 29:15; Jas. 4:14; 1 Pet. 2:11-12). We are *strangers* (Heb. "ger") and *sojourners* (Heb. "towshab") -- and Heaven is our Eternal Abode prepared for the redeemed (Ps. 23:6). As *strangers* (Grk. "paroikos") and *pilgrims* (Grk. "parepiedmos"), we who are "born-again" will reside in a NEW Heaven and a NEW Earth in the World to come. Rejoice knowing that no matter how difficult life may seem for a Christian, it is but a fleeting moment in light of Eternal Joy and Bliss beyond what the finite human mind can comprehend.

"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions (Grk. "mone"; a dwelling place or abode): if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: [not as the world giveth], give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (John 14:1-3,27)

All of us Christians need encouragement from time to time, for it is impossible to live an upstanding Christian life and avoid trouble. Paul told us that "all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution" (2 Tim. 3:12), and that "through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22). Why? Because Jesus does not love us? God forbid we should ever let ourselves come to think that way. Jesus went into the darkness on the Cross for us. He suffered the wrath of His Father that we might not suffer eternally, to be wounded that we might be healed, to die that we might have life eternal. Is there any greater love than that? And if we do have eternal life (as we do), should we really allow ourselves to get overly exercised about what happens here on this pitiful, temporary earth? This is truth which is easy to understand and accept in principle, but difficult to accept and apply when the pressure is on. Which of us, no matter how spiritually advanced, would be able to do better than Job did under the excessive pressure that came his way? Which of us would do half as well? Yet these things are true.

What we have as everlasting possessions as believers in Jesus Christ is not to be compared to these "light, momentary afflictions" (Rom.8:18). If I were currently under such pressure, I might not be willing to accept such reassurances from others, just as one might have difficulty accepting them from me. But these truths are from scripture, and from a man whom our Lord gave to endure sufferings far beyond what I would ever even want to have to contemplate, the apostle Paul:

"Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not? If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities." (2 Corinthians 11:23-30)

Whatever reason we have to question the troubles which have fallen on our heads, they really don't come close to matching what Paul had to endure (and this is just the short list above as anyone who has read the book of Acts knows). Paul might well have asked why all this was happening to him. Wasn't he an apostle? Wasn't he trying to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ? Didn't all these troubles merely make his lot more difficult? Wouldn't it have been better for God to smooth his path for the sake of the building up of the Church of Christ? But instead of taking that approach in the verses above, Paul says "I will */boast/* of the things that show my weakness". Rather than questioning his lot, Paul embraces it, trusting the Lord that He really is "working all things out together for the good", even when it was not apparent -- and there must have been countless times when it was not readily apparent -- that such was the case.

Paul was the greatest of the apostles, and yet his prayer percentage was not perfect either:

"And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong." (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)

Paul was suffering, unjustly, and it was most certainly the will of God. But while most of us would complain, and only a few of us would trust God that He was indeed"working all things out together for good" even though it didn't seem that way to us, who of us is of the mature Christian stature of a Paul to say "Thank you, Lord!". But if we saw things with God's eyes, that is what we would do. For there really is a purpose in our suffering, just as much as in our blessing. I know from scripture and from experience that things which seem to be disasters at the time later are revealed to have been blessings through which God accomplished wonderful things (and it is certainly possible that such is the case in some facing difficulties as well).

With hindsight, many Christians see such things, but it takes a very active, vibrant faith to see things that way */at the time/* because */at the time/* they can only be seen with faith. That is really the mark of the battle-tested, completely faithful Christian soldier, namely, a confidence in God that surpasses all earthly sense, a willingness to trust Him when the entire world is screaming that we are crazy to do so. Anyone can be a "good Christian" when the sun is shining. It takes true Christian character to stand up and trust the Lord when the sky is falling. None of this is an accident. God the Father planned it all before He ever made the universe through Jesus Christ. His angels received orders to pick us up lest we trip over a stone before they were ever even created. So why do we ever run into stumbling blocks at all? God knew they were there, and knew that the devil would put them there. Why didn't He have them removed ahead of time? Why didn't He remove the devil and his minions as soon as they rebelled? Why are we even here, still living this earthly life when it is with Jesus in resurrection that we shall live for all eternity? The answer, of course, is that we are here to have our mettle tested. We are here to make choices. We are here to choose for Jesus . . . or not. And for those of us who have chosen for Him, we are here to keep choosing for Him, choosing to grow through the Word of God, to pass the tests He puts in our way, and to help others do the same through our production according to the gifts and ministries we are given . . . or not.

Our Salvation depends upon what we choose. And as believers, our rewards depend on what we choose. But if there were no opposition, where would choice be? If there were no difficulties, how could our faith be tested? How could it ever hope to grow? I can affirm through personal experience along with the (incalculably more important) testimony of the Bible that it is a blessing to experience suffering that is */so/* undeserved that it cannot possibly be the result of anything a person has done wrong (Acts 5:41; 2 Cor. 1:5; Phil. 3:10; Col. 1:24; 1 Pet. 4:12-13). For if we are suffering for discipline (as happens to us all from time to time: Heb.12), then we have to learn to endure it and bear up under it, trusting in God's mercy and forgiveness. But if it is definitely not a case of divine discipline, if we are being opposed by the devil because we really are following and serving Jesus Christ in an effective way (as was the case with Paul), or to demonstrate to the world of men and angels both that our faith in God and our love for Jesus Christ is pure and not dependent upon our present material situation (as Job was honored to do), then should we not rather rejoice? The great secret of the Christian life is that we /*can*/ rejoice in our sufferings! We are allowed to do so, and we are able to through the power of the Comforter who lives within us. We don't have to "feel bad" that we "feel bad". We can "feel good" that God is taking care of us and that He will take care of us no matter how bleak things look, no matter how difficult the road we tread, no matter how impossible the situation we face.

For nothing is impossible with God. We don't have to put a time limit on our deliverance: now is the day of salvation (2 Cor. 6:2), even if it takes a thousand years (which to God is but a moment: 2 Pet. 3:8). We are allowed to be joyful, even when we are crying. We are allowed to thank God, even when our prayers are not immediately answered. We are allowed to trust Him, even when our eyes tell us that our situation is hopeless. We walk by faith, not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7), "for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal" (2 Cor. 4:18b).

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report." (Hebrews 11:1-2)

If we are going to move those mountains, we have to learn how to let God build up our faith in the only way it is possible for that to happen: through testing. We know that we can trust Him in this process, moreover, because He really does have our best interests at heart at all times, so that while we may not be able to understand, He knows why everything is happening exactly as it is happening. We will never be able to "see" perfectly this side of heaven. But we can learn to trust the Lord that He does. I know from experience that this can be very frustrating. Just remember that God never puts on us anything we are not able to bear (1 Cor. 10:13), although there are /many/ times we may not /think/ we can bear up under it. In my experience, once we truly do give the problem over to the Lord in complete faith that He will handle it even though we are having a hard time with it, then the effect the evil one is trying to achieve is diminished and things usually then move on to the next test. Because Satan is not allowed to kill us, we can relax in the sure and certain deliverance of God from all things that may seem frightful for whatever reason. During the Tribulation, of course, there will be many martyred for the Lord, but this too is all in His plan. We have to be ready to give our lives for Jesus, if that is our Lord's good pleasure. When we do get to that point, it is amazing how all of the other big things are revealed for what they are: little things.

In Closing:

This is not an easy perspective to gain, nor is it an easy point of view to maintain. But if everything in our lives were proceeding without any "trouble" whatsoever, we would not have the testing necessary to grow. Astronauts who stay in space for long periods of time lose their muscle tone and in extreme cases have had to learn how to walk all over again when they return to earth. Christian testing is like gravity. It may weigh us down, and it may limit what we can do, but it is this resistance which build our spiritual muscle -- when we continue to push forward in spite of it, that is. So it all boils down to this: determining what is the right thing to do is in any situation, doing it, then leaving everything else to the Lord. When we truly have grown to the point of consistently adopting that attitude, we can laugh through whatever tears life brings, confident that God is working out for us an eternal weight of glorious reward that is not to be compared to any misfortune we experience here in this life. As I say to my readers, this is easier said than done, but if we are consistent in our taking in of the Word of God, our believing of the principles of truth, and our application of them to our lives, our faith will grow and we will be able to handle all manner of tests in the fashion of the great believers of the Bible -- and in anticipation of a great reward as we produce for Jesus Christ and help our fellow Christians do the same.

"And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for [the former things are passed away]. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: FOR THESE WORDS ARE TRUE AND FAITHFUL. And he said unto me, IT IS DONE. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death." (Revelation 21:3-8)

When God Himself says, "IT IS DONE" (Grk. "ginomai" Second perfect active indicative. i.e., *a future promise which have already come to pass*), then you had best believe that it is a PROMISE which is GUARANTEED by God Himself! I lost count of how many times the Scriptures tell us that God is TRUE AND FAITHFUL. The former things will pass away in the Eternal State; and not because of any memory loss -- but because of the indescribable Joy and Love in a reality that will eclipse any thing this depressing world can offer.

"He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep unto life eternal." (John 12:25)

God Bless!