Exchanging Earthly Comforts for Eternal Pleasures
Worldly comfort is one of the greatest limiters of true revival. It is also one of the primary culprits of the saint’s eternal blessings. Satan has deceived many to believe that God’s desire for us is to have a cozy, pain-free existence. Because we believe this lie, we despise any thoughts of suffering for His name’s sake (Philippians 1:29).
Many Christians want to “know Him and the power of His resurrection,” but they are unwilling to travel the road of bearing with “the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death” (Philippians 3:10). If we can recognize the eternal benefit of enduring trials and tribulations, we would welcome them into our life instead of running from them.
When looked upon in a purely natural way, suffering is negative. If all I am living for is pleasure in this life, then suffering has no place in my fairytale existence. But what if there was more to this life than what meets the eye? What if this life was but a shadow of another that would continue for eternity? If that is the case (which the Bible says it is), wouldn’t we want to experience anything that would benefit our transition into the eternal state?
Herein lies the great benefit of suffering in this age. This is how we can “exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Romans 5:3-5).
Persecution is Not Optional
Now let me be clear at the forefront. I do not believe in a poverty mindset that chases pain and suffering. I don’t encourage anyone to go and try to find ways to suffer for Christ. The primary concern of my life is to follow and obey the Lord through His word.
But here’s the catch. If you do study and obey the Scripture, I can guarantee that you will suffer for the sake of Christ. “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12).
Our challenge is to look past the initial trial of suffering to what it accomplishes. As we see the refining work that takes place through trials and tribulations, we can be like the early apostles who, after being flogged, “went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name” (Acts 5:41).
Herein lies the great paradox of spreading the gospel. If it were up to us, the gospel would spread without any hindrance. Our fantasy is for world revival to come without any persecution, martyrdom, slandering, heartache, etc. This sounds like a reasonable approach; the only problem is that it is not how God plans to do it.
He reveals something much different in His word. Sure, there is plenty of joy, healing, love, and many other society shifting results that come with revival. But these results are often forged in the fire of great suffering and persecution of the saints.
Paul the apostle was the primary person used by God to bring the gospel to the world during the time of the early church. The Spirit used Paul in miraculous ways to spark awakenings in many different regions. The joy associated with this great work of God was not without its hardships though. In 2 Corinthians 11:23-27, we get an overview of the great suffering Paul endured as he spread the gospel of Christ,
Are they servants of Christ? - I speak as if insane - I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.
The Purifying Power of Suffering
We fall into great danger when we don’t realize that pain and suffering are tools God uses in our sanctification and His kingdom’s growth. Those not acquainted with what God’s word says about persecution may mistakenly believe that God has abandoned them in their struggle.
On the contrary, when we face these hardships while serving the Lord, we know that He is with us and that He “causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).
Peter admonishes his fellow Christians in the following way:
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you (1 Peter 4:12-14).
All the suffering and pain we experience has an eternal purpose. This is one of the greatest sources of comfort for me as I endure hardships for my faith in Christ. If God had not given me this revelation, I might have given up on the Christian life a long time ago.
Knowing that any suffering I experience is ultimately for God’s glory and my eternal reward helps me to overcome in times of testing. I can rest in the joy of knowing that I have been adopted into God’s family. God has given all of us the blessed assurance that,
We are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us (Romans 8:16-18).
Exulting God by Sharing in His Glory
In all this talk of pursuing our eternal inheritance, you may well be wondering how God’s glory fits into the equation. I whole-heartedly agree with Paul’s sentiment in 1 Corinthians 10:31 that “whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” The primary goal of my life is the magnification of His glory.
Christ likewise lived His life for the Father’s glory (John 17:4), but to my surprise prayed that “the glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one” (John 17:22).
I had always attributed God’s glory to be separate from me. If anything good resulted on my behalf, then if I acknowledged it, it seemed I was in some way robbing God of the fullness of glory He deserved. But what I had failed to realize was how God was exalted as I participated in His glory.
This “dual-glorification” can easily be seen in the relationship a parent has with their child. Within God’s design, a parent wants the absolute best for their child. They want the child to succeed in every area of life, and they do all they can to help the child succeed on their journey. A loving parent rejoices in the accomplishments of their children and the glory and honor they receive. But it does not end there.
Dual Glory: Real-Life Examples
Let’s use a child’s high school graduation as an example. As the child walks across the stage and receives his or her high school diploma, Mom and Dad are undoubtedly cheering and celebrating their child’s accomplishment. They feel so proud of all the diligent effort applied by their son or daughter to achieve this incredible feat.
They, and others in attendance, are in a sense glorifying the student for their success. But that’s not all. The student’s triumph and glory are shared with the Father and Mother that helped raise him or her. The child’s graduation is not only a result of their own hard work but of the faithful upbringing of their parents. The child’s glory is the parents’ glory.
I realize that this is not a perfect example, but it gives you an idea of how the Father is glorified through His children as they joyfully share in His glory.
Through this example, we get a taste of what glory is like from heaven’s perspective. Unfortunately, as natural creatures, we often look at glory through the prism of shortsighted and humanistic thinking. In the natural world, everything has a limitation. There is a limited amount of oxygen to breathe, water to drink, money to make, etc. But in the kingdom of God, all limitations are destroyed by God’s infinite provision.
In the natural, if two people are working on a project, one person may receive more credit for the project’s success than the other. This usually results in one party feeling betrayed that the other member received more recognition. In the natural, there is a limited amount of “glory,” and so we fight for our fair share. But this is not how things work in the kingdom.
In the kingdom of God, there is an infinite amount of glory, and God does not lose one iota of His divine magnificence when sharing His glory with us. This glory that we share with the Father begins in our spirit the moment we are born again. It finds its culmination in the day that we see Him face to face in heaven.
The Three Stages of Salvation
To fully understand our glory, we must understand the process of salvation. There are three aspects to our salvation. A believer begins their new life by receiving justification in the sight of God. “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8, emphasis mine). This is a past tense reality that occurs one time in the believer’s life.
After this initial salvation, the Christian continues to grow in the grace of God through the process of sanctification. “For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing” (2 Corinthians 2:15, emphasis mine). This is a present-tense reality that never ends during the physical life of the believer.
Finally, each Christian will undergo one final transformative experience through their glorification. “Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life” (Romans 5:9-10, emphasis mine). This is the future reality of our salvation and is our final stage of being conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29).
I describe these three stages of salvation to help you understand the tremendous investment the Father has in your glorification. We need to realize that “our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory” (Philippians 3:20-21). Your glorification is God’s final brushstroke on the masterpiece of your life.
God Always Gets the Credit
Now, before any pride has an opportunity to creep in, let me make something abundantly clear. Every eternal reward and ounce of glory you will one day receive has no origin in yourself. This does not neglect the fact that you are responsible for your actions, “for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10).
What you do and how you live in this world impacts your eternal life! But just because we are responsible in part for our eternal reward does not mean that we have in some way earned or deserved it. Everything that we have now and forevermore is given to us “by grace … through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
The glory you have in your eternal state is not independently yours. Acquiring eternal rewards is not about flaunting your earthly accomplishments. It is only in God that we have “become partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4), for “every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights” (James1:17). We share in His glory, and we would have no glory or rewards apart from Him.[1]
Real World Implications of Living for Eternal Joy
As we draw to the close of this article, you may well be thinking that the subject of our future glorification is exciting to consider, but how is it applied to daily life? Far from being an existential topic, there are many real-world implications for approaching each day with the end in mind. By escaping the grip of earthly gratification, we open our hearts to experience the superior pleasures of heaven.
Our life takes on a whole new sense of purpose as we reflect God’s glory to a hurting world. Nothing can erase “the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension,” (Philippians 4:7) when we place our trust and life completely in His Hands. Knowing where we are going and what we are becoming gives us encouragement to persevere through our daily challenges.
Without knowing where this is all headed, it would be easy to feel discouraged and perhaps eventually give up our pursuit of holy living all together. But as we have seen, that would be a tragedy in light of the eternal rewards God is storing up for us right now. By keeping this at the forefront of your mind, you can be strengthened to live a life wholly consecrated to the Lord.
Take hope in knowing that “after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you” (1 Peter 5:10). Amen to that!
[1] There is an aspect of God’s glory that is separate from us. Being the uncreated author of the universe is something that we cannot relate with. Though we become partakers in the divine nature we are not divine in the same sense of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There will forever be a form of God’s glory that is ascribed only to Himself, “I am the Lord, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another” (Isaiah 42:8).