“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.” (II Corinthians 4:16-18)
Thoughts… One of Satan’s chief tools is to discourage us by making our lives difficult. Through trying times, the Enemy tempts us to doubt God’s goodness and sufficiency. When we are hurting, it is not uncommon for us to wonder if God really loves us at all. And unfortunately, as we have all witnessed, discouragement has led some to even abandon their trust in God.
Since discouragement is common to all believers, has God provided a way to break free from its powerful currents? How do you pull out of the whirlpool of doubt? Paul gives the key in these verses. He says it is to live with what I would call an eternal perspective.
You have to develop an eternal perspective. You have to exercise the spiritual discipline of seeing life through God’s eyes, of filtering everything through the lens of Scripture. The only real answer to discouragement and doubt is penetrate the fog of present circumstances by focusing your spiritual vision clearly and steadfastly into the character and promises of your covenantally faithful God.
God has promised that your troubles here in this world are only momentary. Furthermore, they are not only ephemeral, they are purposeful—they are achieving in you something eternal. And in the light of eternity, your troubles now are nothing compared to your glory then. Your present troubles are the raw material for future glory. Therefore, Paul says, fix your gaze on the glory.
Now I don’t mean to minimize the pain that we often have to endure in this life. It is never fun, and I wouldn’t wish pain on you or me for all the tea in China, even knowing the eternal glory that it achieves. Yet Paul’s advice remains the same: Keep your eye on the prize, because if you endure, glory awaits. Just remember, what Satan means for harm, God uses for good.
In fact, let’s not forget that God uses problems and pain in our lives to do some of his best work, not just for the life to come, but for the here and now. James 1:2-4 says,
“Whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.”
In your light and momentary afflictions, God is producing good for now and glory for later! That truth reminds me of a story I came across several years ago of a silversmith describing the process he uses to refine silver. The silversmith said,
“To refine the silver, I sit with my eyes steadily fixed on the furnace, for if the time necessary for refining is exceeded in the slightest degree, the silver will be injured. I never take my eye off of the silver in the furnace. I don’t want to take it out too early, because if I take it out too early, it won’t be purified. But I don’t want to leave it in too long, because if I leave it in too long, it will be injured. When the silver is in the fire, I focus. I don’t let anything distract me. I let nothing take my focus off the silver. I watch the silver carefully, waiting for the right moment to take it out.”
The silversmith was asked, “How do you know when it is the right moment?”
And he said, “I know the silver is pure when I can see my face reflected in it.”
In the Old Testament book of Malachi, God describes himself as a refiner and purifier of silver. What a comforting picture of God, the great Silversmith and you, the silver. You are never left in the Refiner’s fire too long, or taken out too soon, but are always under the watchful eye of the One who fully understands the refining process. And when, as a result of the fire, your life reflects the image of Christ, you will be ready—purified like pure silver.
If you are going through one of those “light and momentary afflictions”, hang in there! You are going to really shine when this is all said and done. You are going to gain some glory, mainly the glory of looking more like Jesus. So keep your eye on the prize…and don’t forget, God is keeping a watchful and loving eye on you.
Prayer… Father, it is an awesome thing to be under your watchful care. No matter what I am going through, you are there, bringing good out of bad and producing a glory shine in me that will never fade throughout all eternity. Help me to maintain that eternal perspective no matter what. Help me to keep my eye on the prize. Help me to remember at all times that the pain is nothing compared to the gain of knowing you and being the object of your eternal love.
One More Thing… “We are always in the forge, or on the anvil; by trials God is shaping us for higher things.” —Henry Beecher Ward
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