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For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18
D.L. MOODY
The heir to some great estate, while a child, thinks more of a dollar in his pocket than all his coming inheritance. Just so, even some professing Christians are more elated by a passing pleasure than they are by their title to eternal glory.
ERWIN LUTZER
A mark of maturity, we are told, is delayed gratification. Some people live for the pleasures of this fleeting world without much thought about their eternal existence. And when suffering comes, they find themselves unable to look beyond it to God.
Satan’s intention is to use our suffering to distract us and make us so miserable and cynical that we no longer trust God. So, Satan wins temporary victories in our lives. I say “temporary” because the Christian’s future is secure, however, the enemy can still win in this life by making us forget about our life to come. God’s own purpose for suffering is very different. It is to break us, to humble us, and to develop our relationship with Him. We should see suffering as a divine gift, coming from God’s hand for God’s purposes. To put it clearly, suffering is actually God putting His arms around us.
Remember what Paul endured: a thorn in the flesh, people trying to undermine him, he was beaten, stoned, and left for dead. Yet despite all of that and more, he said, “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Corinthians 4:17).
The key to life is not to be absorbed by the things that are seen but rather the things unseen.
PRAYER
Father, show me your grace even in my affliction; help me to focus on eternity and not just time.REFLECTION QUESTIONS
Why is it hard for us to see God in our suffering?How have you seen God grow you through trials and persecution?