Light Affliction and Eternal Glory

Regardless of the state of the world, Christians can peaceably rest in the comfort and goodness of God.  Australia has recently experienced drought, bushfires, floods, an economy reeling from the impact of COVID-19, not to mention the risk of infection from the ongoing pandemic.  I do not know if my generation has ever experienced such upheaval that affects daily life.  Billions have been wiped from the stock market and for those who find security in savings the future looks increasingly grim and bleak.  It is situations just like this which illuminate the blessings God graciously gives those who trust in Him with contentment and freedom from fear, worry, and hysteria.  We can rejoice knowing in the supreme confidence God loves us and is in control.

Followers of Jesus Christ are not strangers to trials and difficulties faced in this life and have continued to joyfully thrive.  On the heels of informing the Corinthian church he and fellow believers were troubled, perplexed, persecuted, and cast down--at times even despairing of life--rejoiced how the life of Jesus was manifested through them.  Their bodies were perishing but God continued to renew them from within day by day.  Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, ¹⁸ while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal."  When Paul called his suffering "light affliction" he was not downplaying it but comparing it to the eternal glory which awaited him and all those who trust in Jesus Christ.  Their suffering would have an end but the glory they would experience was eternal and far outweighed negative experiences in life which would ultimately be redeemed according to God's good purposes.  Paul lifted his eyes above the problems and pains and fixed them on the eternal God in His holy habitation.

Without being born again by faith in Jesus the best men can do is place their hopes on circumstances changing for the better, labour to make the best out of bad situation, habitually check news reports, hoard goods out of fear, and funnel anger by blaming someone or something for their present state.  It is true there are practical steps we can take to be prepared for disasters and limit exposure to illnesses, but the Christian is given by God strength, comfort, and rest confidently knowing we are safe in Him.  Professors and "experts" are giving predictions about best and worst case scenarios concerning the economy or the viral pandemic but they cannot change a thing.  No matter what happens in the world or to us personally, we need not worry.  Even when our personal reality exceeds a worst case scenario it is light affliction which is but for a moment which is working for our good and God's glory forever.

Where are your eyes fixed today, believer?  To whom do you look for hope?  Are you focused on what you can see (worrying about what you cannot see) or on the eternal?  David prayed in Psalm 27:7-10, "Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice! Have mercy also upon me, and answer me. ⁸ When You said, "Seek My face," my heart said to You, "Your face, LORD, I will seek." ⁹ Do not hide Your face from me; do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my help; do not leave me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation. ¹⁰ When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take care of me."  Cry unto the LORD all who desire mercy, for He will hear and answer.  The God of our salvation will not leave or forsake us in volatile seasons of life because He is faithful and eternal.  Seek the LORD you His beloved children and all our needs will be abundantly met according to His grace and "a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory."

The Faithful Legacy

King Hezekiah is proof the apple doesn't resemble the tree it dropped from, a perfect example God can make godly men regardless of their godless environment.  There are few kings in the history of Judah as wicked as Hezekiah's father Ahaz, yet Hezekiah prepared his heart to seek the LORD.  When he became king he immediately made sweeping changes to purify the land of idolatry and to restore the worship of the one true God of Israel.

Hezekiah left behind a legacy of far greater enduring value than gold or silver but the testimony of a life devoted to the praise, worship, and service of God.  After preparing the Temple to accommodate the worship of God and the storage of sanctified things, he ensured priests and Levites throughout the land were provided for from the offerings obediently brought by the people.  See what 2 Chronicles 31:20-21 says about this king who faithfully served the LORD:  "Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah, and he did what was good and right and true before the LORD his God. ²¹ And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, in the law and in the commandment, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart. So he prospered."  May this be said of all God's people, that we too would do what is good and right and true before the LORD.  It is God's will we would seek God with all our hearts who will cause us to have success in all we put our hand to do.

The life of Hezekiah teaches us a godly legacy is not made by what you leave behind but by choosing to live for the glory of God today.  Praise the LORD for His faithfulness and how those who love and trust God begin to resemble Him in godly character as a son bears similar physical features to his dad and mum.  I was always struck by my dad's similar manner and bearing to his father, and how beautiful it is to see the attributes of God in the way we love, forgive, and are patient with one another.  1 Corinthians 1:9 says, "God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."  Let us answer the call to faithfully walk with Jesus today--and keep going!

Choosing Your Battles

When I worked for a union shop as a mechanical insulator, I was nominated by my peers to be shop steward.  This volunteer role was structured to be a liaison between the workers and the union to resolve conflicts between the shop and workers.  If the shop violated the collective bargaining agreement to the detriment of the workers, should the shop refuse to address the grievance it fell to me to contact the union so they could step in and resolve the issue.  It wasn't long until I was called upon to act in the best interest of workers who were being taken advantage of.

In my idealistic youth I imagined the union brass would be keen to stand up on behalf of members who were ill-used by their employer.  I discovered quite the opposite, that the union laboured to keep good relations with shops by ignoring issues raised in the fear they shops would go non-union.  During a conversation with a union business representative it was evident he lacked any desire to follow up the complaint and said with a sigh, "Ben, you gotta chose your battles."  Instantly I fired back to him, "Well, I chose this one.  How about you start doing the job the members are paying you to do?"

The approach of "choosing our battles" is common.  We might identify a losing battle, a pointless or an unnecessary battle.  There are many battles which could be justly fought, but we only want to expend effort when we can win and the potential benefit justifies the cost.  There might be a million justifiable battles and because we cannot fight them all we must choose the most worthy ones.  Every battle we fight requires a certain amount of personal investment, whether the conflict involves nations, a union contract dispute, or one of a personal and private nature.  The Bible sheds much light on battles which is foreign to the world.  Because God fights for His people He is able to accomplish impossible victories no one walking in their own strength would ever dare attempt.  In faith in God Moses led the Hebrews out of Egypt without a fight, David slew the giant Goliath with a single stone when armed and amoured men fled at his voice, and Jesus defeated sin and death when He laid down His life on Calvary.  God's battles and the way He fights them are uniquely His own.

In the book of Joshua God directed the Israelites to march around Jericho once a day for six days, and on the seventh day He commanded them to encircle the city seven times:  at Joshua's command the people shouted and God caused the walls to fall down flat.  After this miraculous and astonishing triumph, the children of Israel set their sights on Ai--a small city with only 12,000 inhabitants.  The spies reported two or three thousand men was all it would take to defeat.  Because of sin in the camp the 3,000 who approached the city fled in fear and 36 of them perished.  After judgment of those who troubled the camp, Joshua 8:1 says, "Now the LORD said to Joshua: "Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; take all the people of war with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land."  Instead of only mustering up a small fighting force for a small city, God commanded Joshua to muster all the fighting men of Israel which numbered in the hundreds of thousands.  Of the entire army made ready a portion of them were chosen to fight as Joshua 8:3 reads:  "So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against Ai; and Joshua chose thirty thousand mighty men of valor and sent them away by night."

There are many valuable principles in this passage we can apply personally:  to seek the LORD in what battle to fight, to obey God's leading in how to fight the battle, and that we do so with all our might--not only committing a fraction of our resources to the fight.  This walk of faith in God requires all our effort, a complete commitment of readiness to obey.  Because the battle is the LORD's it is always expedient to expend our energies according to His direction, for all our resources and abilities we possess have been provided by His grace.  The battle which we are engaged in is not against flesh and blood but against principalities, powers, against rulers of darkness in heavenly places (Ephesians 6).  In the fight against Ai God directed the children of Israel to utilise military tactics, and though God has given us spiritual armour by the Holy Spirit it does not mean we intuitively know what battle to fight and how to fight it.  Praise God the battle and victory is the LORD's and when He chooses a battle He enables and guides us to contend successfully.

Hope in God's Mercy

Do you enjoy trying to find the perfect gift for someone?  When I wasn't sure what to buy I used to enjoy walking through the shops for ideas.  With enough time and persistence I would nearly always be excited with what I found and look forward to giving it away.  There have been gifts given which were appreciated nearly as much as the giver hoped, but it is especially fun to see people pleased with what they have received.  Some are tough to please, yet many people derive more joy over the person who gives them a gift than in the value of the gift itself.

That is one remarkable thing about God:  though He is perfect, literally has everything, and has the loftiest standards, He is pleased with humble things.  Visiting royals presented King Solomon lavish gifts of gold and precious jewels, spices, the best of oil and wine, and exotic animals--that hardly made a dent in the goods he already acquired.  What could a common person afford to gift a king, much less the KING OF KINGS?  Psalm 147:11 tells us what God takes pleasure in:  "The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy."  God delights in people who reverence Him, who "hope in His mercy."  Mercy is kindness to others from a heart of love.

Now this is a wondrous thing, that God delights in people who acknowledge and expect to receive mercy from Him!  The prophet Jeremiah said concerning God's mercy in Lamentations 3:21-26:  "This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. ²² Through the LORD'S mercies we are not consumed,because His compassions fail not. ²³ They are new every morning;great is Your faithfulness. ²⁴ "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I hope in Him!" ²⁵ The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. ²⁶ It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD."  When Jeremiah and the children of Israel faced the brutal consequences of judgment for their sins at the hand of their enemies, those who feared God were patiently sustained by God's mercies which were new every morning.  Like the manna which sustained the Hebrews day by day in the wilderness, so God's mercies upheld those who faced war, famine, and pestilence.

When we give a gift how satisfying it is to see it joyfully received, and the same is true concerning God:  who is a more generous Giver than He?  His delight is in those who sense their lack and need for His presence, in those who hope in His mercy.  Those who fear God seek Him and receive His loving kindness.  God is not a greedy despot who demands sacrifice to be satisfied but is pleased to see His gifts gladly received and appreciated.  The greatest thrill for a chef, baker, or grill master is to see people heartily enjoy their quality offerings, and God's pleasure is not by what we offer Him but that we happily receive what He freely gives us out of His mercy, grace, and love.