Tuesday, July 10, 2012
2 Corinthians 4:18 While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
TEMPORAL SUFFERING VS. ETERNAL GLORY
Since Jesus has taken care of our most overwhelming affliction--eternal death, He will also deliver us from the lesser afflictions on this earth. It would seem rather odd if He would not. The deliverance from the problems in this life is, ironically, physical death. Our Lord makes it clear that no matter how horrific afflictions on this earth may seem, two things are true. First of all, compared to the spiritual despair that we have without Jesus, the problems in this life are very small. Second, no matter how bad things may get here in time, it is only a temporary condition.
"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" (2 Corinthians 4:17). The worst that we could go through on this earth does not compare with how good it will be in heaven. "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18). There is just no comparison between this life and eternity in that regard.
There is also no comparison when it comes to time. How many of us have undergone a shot or taken horrible tasting medicine enduring a brief second of discomfort in order to get better? How many of us have exercised and exhausted ourselves physically in order to try to get our bodies into better shape?
The soul is worth so much more than the body, and so the Lord puts us into spiritual training. He works to take our eyes off the temporary and toward the eternal. "... we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:18).
This is a completely different philosophy than the one the world operates by. In this world your success is judged by what is seen. Your value is equated with how much you have. God directs us away. Our eyes will deceive us. We get so worked up over things that simply will not last. Why not, instead, focus on what is permanent?
