SCRIPTURE: 2 Corinthians 4:1-18
OBSERVATION:
No matter what he endures, no matter how hard his life is, Paul is confident in the Lord and in what the Lord is doing.
Paul says that the real miracle is what is happening inside of us, when the Lord turns on the “lights” in our heart, enabling us to see Him and what He wil do for us.
Whatever we experience in our bodies (clay jars) is nothing compared to what is going on inside of us, and of the eternal glory that is to come.
Satan succeeds in blinding people from seeing this, but Paul has fixed his eyes on this invisible glory, and is therefore able to endure hardships, which he views as “light and momentary troubles”.
Paul speaks honestly and simply, telling everyone about the invisible glory that the Lord is establishing within him, and preparing him for. He is motivated by faith, and nothing, even extreme hardship, can shake his faith – “therefore we do not lose heart”.
APPLICATION:
This is an amazing demonstration of faith, despite the circumstances. Do I feel this confident in what the Lord is doing in me, and what He is preparing for me?
Do I consider my own trials and hardships as “light and momentary”?
In order to have this confidence, Paul must be experiencing something AMAZING on the inside. We know about his dramatic conversion experience (Acts 9:1-19), but what he was experiencing in his relationship with the Lord must have been very dramatic to enable him to endure his hardships with such faith and hope (see also 2 Corinthians 6:4-10 and 2 Corinthians 11:21-29).
I want this kind of fire burning in heart, to be so confident in the invisible glory and blessing of knowing the Lord that nothing can sway me, not even hardship or controversy or persecution.
PRAYER:
Lord, I ask that You would work this kind of faith in my heart, one that has such a vision of You that when the troubles hit me, I can see beyond them to what You are doing in me, through me, and what You are preparing for me! May I be renewed inwardly day by day! Amen.