Our scripture this morning is 2 Corinthians 4:14-18.
We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you. All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory. That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.
Paul has sound teaching for us in this passage. It sounds a little gloomy when he says “our bodies are dying” but he reminds us “our spirits are being renewed every day”. God has created us to live with Him eternally, so that must be our focus, not the temporary things we face.
He doesn’t say that our earthly existence doesn’t matter and to ignore everything, but we must not let it interfere in our relationship with God. Jesus calls us all to be His representatives, sharing God’s love with everyone. We have a vital role in His ministry here, passing on the Good News. While He certainly doesn’t need our help, He wants us to be part of what He is doing in the world.
Do you face trouble in your life? Jesus said it wouldn’t be easy to follow Him but it is the only way to life everlasting. We look forward to the things we cannot see and His return in glory.
Loving Lord, we sometimes encounter things we can’t handle on our own, but You call us to give them to You. Bless us to let go of earthly things and allow You to guide and protect us. Amen.