Eternal glory (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)




Read 2 Corinthians 4

What a comforting passage! God knows we are weak and sinful, so He gave us His Word. The Bible is filled with comforting passages to help us in and through the trials we will face in this life. Because we WILL face trials in this life, and how we respond to them matters. We can easily succumb to sadness, despair, bitterness, or anger, or we can turn to God. John 16:33 says, "In this world you will have troubles. But take heart! I have overcome the world!" Yes, we will have troubles and trials, but we are not to lose heart! Though we go through trials, we will not be overcome by them. Even if we die, it is for and with Christ. God raised Christ from the dead, and He will one day raise us from the dead as well. Our text helps us to understand that although our bodies are wasting away, we do not lose heart because we know they are temporary. 1 Peter 5:10 says, "After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you." Again, we are told we will suffer and go through trials, but we are not to lose heart because God will give us what we need. We can be comforted by knowing these things are temporary. This is not our home, as Hebrews 13:14 says, "For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come." 

So, how do we find this comfort? By looking "not to the things that are seen, but to the things that are unseen" (2 Corinthians 4:18). Faith and confidence in God's Word are where we can start. Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." We can not even begin to imagine what heaven will be like, but we long for it. "For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands." (2 Corinthians 5:1). So some of the unseen things are faith, confidence in God's Word, and plan for salvation, and looking towards our heavenly home to come. Next time you find yourself struggling, open God's Word, take heart, and remember this is only temporary. We have an eternity in perfection to look forward to.

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