11) For
we which live are alway
delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made
manifest in our mortal flesh.
12) So
then death worketh in us, but life in you.
13) We
having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and
therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;
14) Knowing
that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up
us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.
15) For
all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the
thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.
16) For
which cause we faint not; but though our outward man
perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
17) For
our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh
for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
|
M |
uch of what Man concerns himself with
in this life even he can recognize is of no lasting benefit. We are largely
concerned with issues which meet our immediate, carnal needs, without
consideration of the consequences.
What the Church World must begin to
acknowledge and accept is the Lord’s view on what should and should not be our
priorities. Those things most important to Him concerning us are those things
of eternal significance. Just as scripture says, if the physical life that we
now live is the only one we have, the only one on which we “hang our hopes,”
then we are, and deserve to be, miserable.
There are some people who attempt to
maintain an interest in spiritual things while patronizing the World. This is
never successful, the reason being that a split focus clouds our judgment. You
see, unless totally committed to the Lord, we can be doing well yet still find
a problem with things that happen. Those who consider themselves dedicated to
God have a hard enough time looking past the test to accept its purpose: that
is, to develop us into the individual He wants us to be. Unfortunately, we are
too infrequently concerned with what the Lord wants.
Does it seem as if we are happiest when
we can blame our problems on others? You see, intrinsic in natural man is an
inability to accept responsibility for his own actions. Of course, we would not
find ourselves in need of a scapegoat if, when we called God the head of our
lives, we would not fight against His leadership and authority.
If we will ever aspire to anything
greater or more noble than ourselves, we will have to
accept what the Lord wants us to learn. Only after doing this can He take us to
the next phase of our life. You see, one who is
progressing in the Lord never stops learning.
Only now, perhaps, can we fully
understand that we are not being trained solely for this life, but for the life
to come. Realizing that we have a divine purpose should infuse us with
enthusiasm and a sense of purpose.
The Lord goes out of His way to make us
comfortable during this journey on earth by promising us blessings in this
life. Of course, all the blessings we can receive will mean nothing if we do
not commit ourselves into the trust of the Lord. Therefore, in addition to
blessings, we will also have Him working for us in all situations.
Too many of the
people of God labor under misconceptions, one of the most dangerous of which is
that by not fulfilling His requirements, we are somehow released from them. If one decides never to do what God
wants him to do, he is still held accountable for the task.
The “eternal weight of glory” about
which scripture speaks can never be ours if we always look for “outs” in our
situations. Generally, man looks for ways to get around living a strict
standard of holiness. Of course, such an attempt at avoiding responsibility is
not just a problem for the unsaved. This is why we are now involved with
reaching our brothers and sisters with the message of “Restoration.” What all
the Church World must understand is that the standard of God is not for the
God’s requirement is eternal,
unavoidable and unchanging. The Lord’s standard cannot be run from as from an
unpleasant situation. The World, and all that is in it, will be judged
according to the Word and will of the Lord.
Only one not concerned with eternity
would speak of living “one-day-at-a-time.” The statement is nonsensical, for
one can obviously live no more than one day per day. However, this statement
conveniently causes confusion based on the acceptance that we are to live for
this day, alone, and not take into consideration how today’s
actions will affect our state tomorrow. You see, no matter how little
you may esteem the coming day, you can never escape
the fact that once you exist, you have a soul that exists. It is that soul
which must be taken into consideration, for it lives eternally.
In order to do our part to give our
souls adequate protection, we will have to stop being so easily moved by the
attitudes of others. It does not seem to take much to get us upset, hurt or
depressed. Now, too often, these things are the result of imaginary hurts and
slights.
Why should we always find ourselves on
the “wrong side” of God? Whatever we value, we protect, right? That being the
case, we need to protect our salvation. It is high time that we allow nothing
and no one to affect our status in it.
Understandably, some people have
“reacted” for so long, that that reaction, rather than trusting God, is first
nature. Nevertheless, He wants us to allow Him to do His “new thing” in us. He
wants to work in us so that we are no longer caught up in what others think and
feel.
Along
with a new determination to be committed to the Lord, we must develop maturity
in our understanding of Him and His ways. It is a fact of scripture and our
spiritual lives that whenever we live for the Lord, we will find ourselves
tried and tested. It is supposed to be this way, because it is through our
testing that God is glorified—and this is His reason for our being.
Too
many who are supposedly dedicated to the Lord develop a problem as soon as a
test comes. Why should one who belongs to Another, and
who is led and protected by Him, have to worry about anything? After all, when
that Protector is Jesus, you have no problem too great for Him to solve. When
our confidence is in the Creator, we encounter nothing too high for God to
elevate our lives above.
We
don’t have to live miserable, unproductive lives! We don’t have to simply exist
or live from hand-to-mouth. Because we belong to the Lord and if we serve Him,
we can simply ask the Lord to lift us up above the problems of this life and
World.
We
are saved to serve God, but while serving Him, we are to enjoy a better hope
and a better life. However, these things don’t stop down here. The best hope
and the best life awaits us in eternity. To reach that
place in joy and with peace, we need to abide in praise. This is what lifts us
up. This is what assures our victory.
If you
want to obtain that “eternal weight of glory,” you will suffer affliction—but
it will be light and only for a moment. Ask yourself: which weights more heavily
in the balance—the glory of heaven or the dishonor of hell?