“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18)
Everybody suffers. Or hurts. Or struggles. You can use whatever word you want, but the experience of pain—physical and emotional—is universal.
Jesus suffered for our sins on the cross, but he also suffered through all the painful parts of living a regular human life – just as we do.
Does the fact that everybody suffers in life make it okay? Does the fact that death and mourning and sorrow and pain are normal make that okay? We’re going to see this week that it does not.
Here’s the deal, though: As great as the pain of this life is, it won’t even be worth talking about once you step over the threshold of heaven and take your place there as a child of the king. The glory of that eternal moment, we’re promised, will make the enormous pain of this short life meaningless by comparison.
Think: Do you tend to think of hard times in this life as normal? What do you imagine the glory of living for eternity as a child of God will be like?
Pray: Thank God that your current sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory to be revealed in you as God’s child.
Do: Read Colossians 3:1-4 and try to practice it today.