No Comparison

February 10, 2018 Pastor Stephen Dedman Encouragement, Trust

No Comparison

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:18‬

Suffering Vs. Glory

Every Christian lives in the hope of glory to come. The Holy Spirit fills our hearts with hope and the reality that one day we will be in the presence of Almighty God. Because we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, Jesus Christ restores us unto God with blessed assurance. One day we will be made perfect and live eternally in Heaven with all the saints of God. We shall see Jesus face-to-face. That alone is enough to motivate us to anticipate the coming day of the Lord. Hallelujah!

But what about here and now, as we live on this earth? We are not promised a life of luxury just because we are followers of Christ. To say that a person is free from suffering and anguish because they trust Jesus is a false theology. Perhaps when we do come to Christ in faith the sufferings and trials we face are more because the devil is trying hard to get us to stumble. And the battle rages between good and evil. That is why we are persecuted, mocked, and scorned for our faith in Christ.

Do you know that sufferings we face today will all fade away. When we get to Heaven the glory we will receive outweighs the pain and suffering we endure here and now. But here is the thing, we must keep the big picture in mind. We are only here on this earth for a very short amount of time compared to eternity in Heaven. James 4:14 says, “yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.”

Prayer

Pray and ask God to give you a heaven bound mind.

A Joyous Perspective

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
‭‭James‬ ‭1:2-3‬

Dealing With Difficulties

When was the last time you had a smile on your face when you were dealing with the difficulties of life? Never!

Of course it’s easy to praise the Lord when things are going well. It’s actually a very nice situation to be in. But what about when God tests our faith and trust with the things that are near and dear to us?

We can experience joy when we endure trials and suffering as long as we have the right perspective. Praising the Lord for the suffering and trials we face reflects how we view God. God uses our trials to purify and perfect us. We must always remember that God does not delight in seeing His children suffer.

I once heard a talk radio show host say that he called his brother on the phone to pray for him after he had recently lost his job and then seriously injured his back. He said he was praying for God to remove the pain and suffering from his life. But the brother replied and said, “I don’t want the pain and suffering to be removed until I have learned what God wants me to learn from it.” Now that is a joyous perspective.

Prayer

Wouldn’t you love for God to tell you why you go through certain trials? Well, you can and you need to. Pray for God to reveal his plans and purposes to you. Pray for the ones you know who are going through some difficult times.