Paul had the heart of a champion, and he displayed it clearly. He understood his calling. He knew that life had ups and downs. He depended upon prayer. He let go of his grudges. He saw things with God’s perspective. And he knew where he lived.
Paul had a very clear understanding of where he lived. He knew that this world was his home, for a time. But he also knew that this world was not his permanent destination, and he understood clearly that there was much more than just his day to day life.
He maintained a clear vision of the eternal, even though he lived daily in the temporal.
Read what he wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18:
Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Paul did not lose heart. Even though this world had thrown a lot of things at him, many of which would have destroyed someone who wasn’t secure in his relationship with God, Paul remained steadfast in his unwavering commitment.
Paul knew that this world could only offer light and momentary troubles. He had been beaten, left for dead, shipwrecked, whipped, stoned, persecuted and hated. And he called these things “light and momentary.” This is only possible when you compare those things with the unmeasurable weight of the eternal and spiritual reality he new awaited him.
Nothing we experience, no matter how bad it gets, can be weighed against the eternal value of serving Christ. Nothing can compare.
Paul knew this was true. And so he encouraged his readers, and he encourages us, to fix our gaze not upon that which is seen, but upon that which is not seen. That which we can see, he says, will fade away, it will not last, it is temporal. But that which we cannot yet see is eternal. And that is where we must keep our focus.
Question: How well do you keep your focus on the eternal? Or does the temporal distract you too easily? You can leave a comment by clicking here.