For our momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison~ 2 Cor 4:17
This, I have concluded, is never going to be a popular message. But the path of suffering is actually a rich, rich vein that runs around the body of Christ and directly into its arteries and is, essentially, at it's very heart.
When Paul talks of 'light and momentary troubles' it is clear that in a very immediate sense he is meaning anything but, 'light and momentary'. In the same passage he qualifies what he is going through,
- Hard pressed on every side
- Perplexed
- Persecuted
- Struck down
His list of his own sufferings for the Gospel's sake are well documented, even in my last blog. Ship-wrecks, Imprisonment and stonings being just some of the things he faced.
And Paul, is not an idiot. Nor, I believe, is he a sado-masochist. I don't think he really meant to convey the idea that human suffering is fun. This is not about enjoying pain. This is about something far, far greater. For Paul, these things were 'Light and momentary' (I love his poetry) in the light of what is Heavy (with glory) and Eternal. Our redemption. Our inheritance. Our reward. Jesus himself.
Jesus went to the cross, scorning its shame, we are told, for the joy set before him. I can't think anything motivated him more than the prospect of sitting down at the right hand of his Dad in heaven, knowing what he would have achieved, knowing what pleasure he bought him and what salvation he bought to us. He knew that this suffering, in the light of that, was not worthy of comparison.
Paul says 'whatever is to my gain, (Absence of suffering included) I consider it a loss, compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ. I consider it crap, (The Greek word is actually stronger than that) that I may know him.'
And, in comparison to Paul's sufferings, most peoples troubles are 'Light and Momentary'. Mine certainly are.
And so 'we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.' (v18)
So where does this joy come in?
In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed~1 Peter 1:6-7
The writer of Hebrews encourages us to 'endure hardship as a discipline'. The discipline, literally; a lesson, is something that the father allows his children to go through, so that by it they/we may be trained. If learned from, we are promised, it will produce a harvest of righteousness. And it is sometimes in the shaking that we know what will remain. The discipline is to bring us to a better place, perhaps in a temporal sense, but certainly in an eternal sense. The joy we can find in our choice to praise him no matter what, can transcend the circumstances we face. We know that there is a purpose to this, whatever it may be, that we are being fitted for heaven.
Paul commands us in Philippians to 'rejoice'. Let me say it again. To rejoice is your choice. To take joy in God.
We are told, 'The joy of the LORD is your strength'. So when we are weak, and struggling, we need to rejoice more than ever. Remember Paul and Silas in prison. Their praise party certainly seemed to cause a stir. I believe this is the key to Paul's sustenance. He never lost the eternal picture. What you see in front of you, is never all that is going on. You, above all people, believer, should have hope in affliction. And reason for praise.
And because Paul took this attitude, look what that did to his circumstances;
We can always have hope. We can overcome in all things, because Jesus Christ will never abandon us.
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