Scaling Mt. Everest! Glory to Be Revealed - August 3 Reading: Romans 8

Today's Reading

Background

Gordon Fee says that the key theme of Paul's writings is eschatology - no, not the details of the second coming, but the fact that the end of life gives meaning to the events of this life. We live today for the blessings we will receive then.

In Romans 8, Paul discusses this idea in some depth in verses 18-25, speaking of the longing of all believers for the culmination of this world in the glory of Christ and even the fact that creation longs for that day. But the passage begins with one of my favorite verses, Romans 8:18.

Devotional - The Glory to Be Revealed

Paul was either a certifiably crazy man or he'd gotten hold of something you and I need to inculcate into our lives. In 2 Corinthians 11, Paul described his sufferings as a man of God and an Apostle. In verses 23-29, Paul defended himself against his critics by enumerating what he'd been through.

Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. 24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?

Odd resume, don't you think? But I believe that we'd all agree that this is a pretty awful set of circumstances. I've had some rough days in my life and in my ministry, but I've never faced anything like that. This would have freaked me out, worn me down and caused me to give up on ministry. How did Paul characterize his sufferings?

First, in 2 Corinthians 4:16-17, he said this:

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light, momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.

He saw these afflictions as "light" and "momentary." Was he nuts? Delusional? Was he trying to practice some kind of reality-denying positive confession? I don't think so. He'd gotten hold of a life concept that changed the way he viewed the world and gave him the strength to "not lose heart" even in the worst of trials.

This is explained in Romans 8:18.

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

This verse is comparative. Our present sufferings simply do not compare to the glory that awaits us in heaven. They do not match up.

That does not belittle our sufferings here on earth. Yesterday, in the space of an hour or so, I received word of three very severe issues - two in my church and one in a church in our denomination. Boom. Boom. Boom. Am I supposed to tell people, "Hey, put a smile on your face and don't allow these things to hurt you?" No! We don't have to pretend. Even Jesus cried when he stood at the grave of one he loved. Suffering is real. It hurts. It can be overwhelming.

This verse does not belittle our suffering; it magnifies the glory of heaven. Hold on, Christian friend. No matter how horrible your suffering is you will forget it all when you've been in glory with Jesus for a second or two. "One glimpse of his dear face, all sorrow will erase." That's how amazing heaven will be. "It will be worth it all, when we see Jesus."

I cannot guarantee that we are not going to go through some difficult times in the days ahead. I'm sorry to say that I can almost guarantee that the days ahead will be more difficult than we want to imagine. But I can tell you this. If we know Christ, these are the dark hours before dawn. Whatever happens, we will see the Savior and the glories of heaven will surpass our wildest imaginings.

There is one thing that is true of every person who has ever gone to heaven. They unite to say that whatever they suffered in the cause of Christ was worth it and that the sufferings on earth seemed light and momentary compared to the eternal weight of glory in heaven. The sufferings of earth could not hold a candle to the immense, surpassing glory of heaven.

Hold on, Christian friend. It will be worth it all.

Think and Pray

Do you live your life with an eye toward eternity?
Are you holding on by putting your sufferings in eternal perspective or are your living temporally and allowing the trials of this world to discourage you?