Faith and Sufferings

Romans 8:18 KJV
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

In my 27 years I have seen more suffering than some but far less than others.  Brandon and I have lost our home and all our worldly possessions in a house fire, we have had 2 miscarriages and buried a son, we have lost family because of our faith, we went 8 months with very little to no income, nearly lost our home, and experienced utter financial ruin.  But Paul tells me in Romans that the sufferings of my present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory that shall be revealed.  I need not dwell on the trials I have suffered here in this world because if I did I would be a miserable mess.  My faith tells me that I have so much more to look forward to.

1 Peter 1:3-13 tells us about the glory that will be revealed unto us.  Verse 4 tells us of an incorruptible and undefiled inheritance that is reserved just for us and it cannot fade away. Verse 5 tells us we are kept by the power of God through faith.  Once we've accepted Christ as our Savior we fall under his protection.  We are His. But like gold, our faith must be tried by fire because it is much more precious, more valuable than gold is. Our faith  brings praise, glory and honor unto Jesus so we must rejoice even in our heaviest seasons.

Faith and sufferings go hand in hand.  We cannot have one without the other.  Our faith would be superficial if we never had a trial or tribulation to be faithful through.  Our sufferings would be unbearable and all consuming without our faith to see us through. 

But it is not all for naught.  

1 Peter 1:9 KJV
Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

If we received nothing else at the end of our course except for the salvation of our souls we have received the most priceless gift of all.  Because of our faith we have the one thing that even the prophets and angels have desired and haven't known.  The prophets absolutely believed in the coming of the Messiah and the grace he would bring with Him but they never saw it fulfilled the way we have in the Gospels.  You want to talk about faith, they had it.  Believing and rejoicing in Him with unspeakable joy and glory and yet never having known Christ and His sacrifice.  And the angels.  Can you imagine looking upon Him and yet not knowing and receiving the love and mercy and grace that He holds for us? 

Yes, though our faith be tried by fire, though we may have sufferings here on earth, it cannot compare to the glory that will be revealed in us.

There are far better things ahead than any we leave behind. --C.S. Lewis