It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:13-18 (NIV)
And then there was life . . . Fast, furious, and non-stop. Schedules, responsibilities, obligations, wishes, dreams, and all of them overwhelming with their demands. Yet, we do not lose heart because we act in faith. We are confident that one day we will be ushered into God’s eternal presence. This hope is confident because He raised our Lord Jesus from the dead and promised those who believe in him that He will also raise us with Jesus and present us together in his presence. So those promises outweigh all the momentary troubles of this day to day existence. All Glory to God!
Sometimes we may feel that we are wasting away, but we live by faith and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7). Our faith keeps renewing us day in and day out . . . everyday, all day long. And we remind ourselves that despite our weaknesses, the grace of God both in us and operating through us reaches other people and brings and overflowing glory to God. Again we say, “All glory to God!”
So then, we fix our eyes on the unseen eternal things and refuse to be distracted by the temporal things around us. Remember, what we see around us is only temporal, but the unseen things of God will exist eternally.
Dear Father, thank you for raising Jesus from the dead and promising us that we will also be raised. Grant that we may with confident faith possess your eternal promises. This I pray in the name of Jesus. AMEN
Be encouraged today and glorify God in your life,