For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
ROMANS 8:18
This is a very bold statement from someone who had suffered and endured persecution, stoning, shipwrecks, imprisonments, beatings and scourgings, rejection, opposition, and a “thorn in the flesh”. And yet, here you are, discouraged, brokenhearted, frustrated, and offended because one of your Church brothers failed to greet you at the Church last Sunday.
All of the disasters, tragedies, sufferings, and pain that we deal with and feel right now in this very moment are temporary, and they are extremely brief—seventy? What, a hundred years? Even if we add up the lifespans of a thousand generations who lived before us up to the present time and weigh all their sufferings, their weight is insignificant in comparison to the glory that will be revealed in us. And we will live for thousands, millions, billions, trillions of years, and for eternity in glorified bodies.
All of us may eventually have good reason to feel depressed because of the hardships we may have faced while following Christ. The magnificent life we shall have with God in eternity, however, does not stand in striking contrast to these arguments; they are not even worthy to be compared, they are not the precise opposite, they are insignificant and weightless.
Not even the most spectacular things we could possess or the most exceptional moments we could experience here on earth are worthy of comparison to the promised everlasting life. Similarly, not even the most horrifying experiences we may have are terrible enough to compare to the eternal torment that Satan, his angels, and those who rejected Christ will face for eternity.
God does not discount the brief hardships we face here; in fact, without His strength, we would be unable to bear them. However, these struggles pale in comparison to the everlasting hope that we hold onto.
All of our hopes would be shattered without Christ, and life on Earth would be a tragedy. We were all doomed for hell, and all of our pains might seem like paradise in comparison to that everlasting torture. But, praise God, Jesus is alive, and we have this glorious hope in Him.
Let us offer thanks to God through Jesus Christ, Who has given us the Holy Spirit Who helps us as we face every adversity until His coming, while eagerly awaiting this glorious moment when God Himself will personally wipe all our tears away. And there will be no more pain, no more suffering, mourning, crying, and no more death.
Even so, come Lord Jesus. Amen!
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