Evening

September 9

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 ¹⁶Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. ¹⁷For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. ¹⁸So 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.

The Apostle is saying this because, through his team's ministry, more and more people were experiencing the grace of God. That in turn was showing off the wonderful attributes of God. Even though they died to their own self-life day after day, they knew that when they were raised from the dead, it would all be more than worth it. They had an eternal perspective. Knowing this caused them not to lose heart during physical adversity. The outward was wasting away, but inwardly there was daily renewal.

That sacrifice was earning them eternal rewards. He calls the sacrifice "light and momentary". If being shipwrecked, overnight in the ocean, beaten and left for dead, scourged with whips, in stocks in jail and much more is "light and momentary," then what are the little trials you and I go through?

How did Paul endure all that? He kept his vision on the unseen. He focused on the eternal glory that would far outweigh what he was presently experiencing. He knew that if you put these temporary troubles on one side and eternal reward on the other, the scale would tip so hard and fast that troubles would be launched into orbit! His focus was the unseen. That is faith, and faith pleases God.

The visible is temporary. The unseen is eternal. That alone should give us a point of reference, a reality check, for whatever we endure in this life. Whatever you are going through today, remember that it is temporary. Don't lose heart.

Consider: Are your eyes fixed on the unseen? Have you considered how immeasurably the unseen outweighs the visible? What are you laboring for?