«Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 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 4:16, 17).
MOMENTARY AND LIGHT AFFLICTIONS? How can the apostle Paul speak this way after all that he suffered?
According to his own account, on five occasions he received «forty stripes minus one,» in three other occasions he was beaten with rods, stoned once, and three times shipwrecked. In addition, he was in danger of thieves; in danger of his own countrymen, of Gentiles, and of false brethren; in danger in the city, in the wilderness, and in the sea . . . (2 Corinthians 11:23-26), and stop counting.
However, he speaks of light afflictions. How to understand his words? In order to understand them, they must be placed in perspective; that is, to consider them in the light of eternity. It is as if the apostle has said, «When I compare my afflictions with the supreme joy that awaits me in the heavenly homeland, I discover that they are nothing!» No wonder his sufferings didn’t discourage him! There is a valuable lesson here for us. When we are struck by the storms of life, when it seems that our afflictions have no end, «compared with eternity, a moment is nothing.»
Living with the perspective of the eternal is not limited to only the difficult times we all face. It must be a lifestyle for the Christian.
How could Abraham, for example, live from tent to tent, as a pilgrim in strange land? «For he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God» (Hebrews 11:10). How could Moses, for so many years, persevere in faith in the midst of a stubborn and disbelieving people? «For he looked to the reward» (v. 26).
That is what it means to live in the light of eternity. In the words of Harry Blamires, this is the perspective of the Christian; the perspective that examines earthly reality in the light of the heavenly; and that interprets all the affairs of this world in terms of God’s sovereignty.
In practical terms, what all this means is that, as we move forward in the Christian race, we must not look so much «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).
Heavenly Father, like Abraham, Moses, and Paul, and so many other heroes of the faith, today I want to live in the light of eternity. And when difficulties get in my way, please help me keep an eye on the reward.
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Taken from: Devotional Readings for Adults 2022
“GREAT IS OUR GOD!”
From: FERNANDO ZABALA
Collaborators: Xiomara Perdomo & Angelica Cuate
