Wednesday 12 Jun 2013

Wednesday Reading: 2 Corinthians 4:13-18

Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 4:17
17  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;

Devotion:
One of the most special things about the death of our Lord Jesus is that He was raised up from the grave to defeat sin once and for all! Our faith in that grace gives us a peace within that goes beyond reason; that faith allows us to continue on when others around us are fainting in times of trouble and trials. The hope we gain in this knowledge and love allows us to face those dark days with a courage that will build others up as well as glorifying God.

The suffering that we see other Christians go through should always give us hope because we should always be placing those trials directly into God’s hands and then hoping patiently in His promises toward us. We may get down because of what we go through physically or emotionally, but spiritually we should be being built up and strengthened every step of the way. If the trials we go through only last for a few seconds then the faith and trust that is eventually built up inside of us will not be as enduring and strong as when we face trials over extended periods of time.

Christ went through trials that we find hard to imagine so that our hope can be built up more than if He had just endured a mild telling off. When we face the hardships they build us up far more than little blips in our paths. The faith that is built up within us is far stronger because of the level of trial that Christ went through and what we then go through as well.

The afflictions that we go through are nothing compared to what Christ has gone through for us and they are even less when compared to the joy and peace we get afterward. The more we face the more glory God gets as we are able to work through those trials with God. After our afflictions have passed we can look back on them and see that they lasted for such a short time when compared to the joy and peace we get from glorifying God. When we cannot see them we fear they may be eternal, but when we have passed through them we know they are short. Let us look forward to the end of our afflictions so that we can glorify God again!

Points to Ponder:
What affliction do you fear the most?

What is it compared to the joy and peace God gives you?