SPIRITUAL GROWTH ENHANCERS
REF NO 010
So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. The things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever. 2 Corinthians 4:18 NLT
LOOK BEYOND THE VISIBLE
Paul is describing the reason for his refusal to lose heart in the face of suffering for his faith in Christ. He wrote in the previous verse that his current suffering, though nearly unbearable at times (2 Corinthians 1:8), can't even be compared to the far weightier glory of eternity.
Trouble days don't last! Your mental picture determines your mental focus. To see beyond the visible is to look beyond the visible. To see the invisible is to see the supernatural. To see the supernatural is to await divine manifestation. To await for divine manifestation is to expect to be supernaturally empowered and walk through this life like a king.
In this passage Paul is referring to the current battles, trials and tribulations we go through here on earth as visible trouble days that will never last. He was referring to the stiffer opposition and powers of darkness that enters the boxing ring with us on daily basis.
According to Paul, any suffering, hardship or problems you face for the sake of being a Christian are temporal bases and you are not to stay focused on them. Paul was stressing the need for every child of God to master the hallmark of endurance in our visible temporary world.
This is because the glory that we are going to enjoy in the spiritual world to come outweighs any unbearable situation in this visible world. It would be better for the child of God to see beyond the current struggles, the hardships and the phase of the Coronavirus outbreak in the country.
The thing is, God will see His children through the appearance of any difficulty, danger and hard times till we leave this dark world to the invisible world of glory.
See beyond this world, there is hope that we have another world in view. That world in view is the paradise that God promised us His dearly beloved children, the new Jerusalem which is the holy city.
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. Revelation 21:4
According to Bible reference: Mature Christians know life brings tribulation and trouble as well as blessings and comfort. Pain and sorrow are inevitable in this life. Even Job, a righteous man in God's sight, experienced personal pain and sorrow.
Nevertheless, he retained faith in the Lord and the assurance that he would ultimately be resurrected and would see his Redeemer on the earth (Job 19:25–27).
Christians, too, look beyond suffering and sorrow to the eternal day, when "what is mortal may be swallowed up by life" (2 Corinthians 5:4).
Noticeably absent from the New Jerusalem are tears, death, mourning, crying and pain (Revelation 21:4).
Pain, sorrow, mourning, the passing of friends and loved ones, and dying are all harsh realities of this life, but they will be over once and for all when we take up residence in the New Jerusalem. No wonder the apostle Paul regarded his death as gain (Philippians 1:21).
Revelation 20 described the total and complete defeat of all sin and evil. This verse describes the reality which comes about when God has enacted His judgment. All wrongs are made right, all sin is separated, and all suffering of all kinds are gone.
Undoubtedly, there would be no covid-19 or any form of virus, sickness, disease or pain in heaven. Look beyond the bad government, bad economy and corruption in our country. Pay no attention to the bad leadership and corrupt politicians who think more of their loot and pocket than our interest after our thumbs find them the job.
Nothing in this world is permanent and all shall pass. Everything in this world is perishable including our earthly bodies and the material things and properties we acquire in this life.
The thing is everybody will die. Death is down for all of us. Every one of us will taste death here on earth in a set time that is only known by the omniscience of God Almighty.
Your cognitive picture determines your mental focus. When you understand the life that we live from this point of view that death is inevitable for us all, your mental picture will change. You will seek more of God and desire more of God than the issues of this life. You will surrender your whole life and everything you have here on earth to the service of God.
And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his soul?
Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Whosoever, therefore, shall be ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. Mark 8:34-38
Dear reader, heaven would be sweeter than Coca-Cola. Far sweeter than anything sweet on this earth that is currently enjoyed. A time is coming that we will leave all of them behind including our great possessions, family, friends and loved ones and for that matter, it will be very silly to go about chasing life pleasures than surrounding our lives with Jesus and waiting for His second coming and to receive salvation in the afterlife.
You have to rededicate your life to the Lord Jesus and serve Him better than previous in everyday life.
Knowing that the things that are visible to humans in this life are here for just a moment and then gone. Paul describes them as transient. This is true in two senses. Anything that exists in this world lasts a very short time in comparison with those things that last forever. Secondly, though, human lives are far shorter, yet, than human history. What is visible to us will come and go very rapidly.
Now he adds that this perspective requires a focus on what cannot be seen in this life, meaning the invisible world.
The invisible world is the spiritual world that all souls will journey on from here or when our physical bodies die and are buried in the earth.
Only two destinations in the afterlife of the invisible. Place of torment or place of enjoyment and depending on how you live your life today will determine where your soul will enter in the afterlife. You can enter heaven or hell depending on how you respond to the Saviour's call on earth.
The invisible God who created the universe, though, is "eternal," meaning "outside of time" is urging us to resiliently remain focussed in the super glory that awaits us when we live for Him.
Whatever exists with Him in the spiritual world will never end. Paul was able to keep his focus on the glories of eternity by keeping his inner focus on what is eternal. This allows him to endure suffering in this life that is "light" and "short" in comparison to the glories and pleasures of eternity to come (Hebrews 11:14–16). Shalom!
