PERSPECTIVE ON AFFLICTIONS

“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (2 Cor. 4:17 NKJV).

Nothing gives us better perspective and understanding of our trials and afflictions than the Bible. And here in this verse we find great help. It speaks of the difficulty, duration, and dividends of our afflictions.

Difficulty - “Our light affliction.” Here the apostle Paul describes the difficulties of our “afflictions” in terms of weight and says they are “light.” It is very surprising to hear the apostle Paul saying that his afflictions were light, since he experienced some very tough times for the faith. Yet he counted these afflictions as “light” in view of eternity. If the apostle Paul could count his “afflictions” as “light,” how much more should we look upon our trials and “afflictions” as “light.”

Duration – “For a moment.” Again we are surprised that the apostle Paul would say the trials lasted only “for a moment.” The apostle Paul’s life was filled with afflictions, yet he still says his trials were short in duration. Of course, the apostle Paul is right since he viewed life in terms of eternity, not in terms of time only. He looked beyond the here-and-now to the future. If all we see is this life, we will not have a very encouraging perspective of life.

Dividends - “Working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” For the believer, the work of “afflictions” can be rewarding. They bring great blessings which are instructively described as an “eternal weight of glory.” There is both a comparison and contrast here between the affliction and the dividend. The contrast is twofold. First, the affliction is short in duration (“but for a moment”), but the dividends are long in duration (“eternal”). Second, the “afflictions” are grievous, while the dividend is glorious (“glory”). When we experience afflictions, let’s ponder this verse. It will be a great encouragement in those dark times.

(Adapted from Butler’s Daily Bible Reading 2)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“God never said the journey would be easy, but He did say that the arrival would be worthwhile!”

Max Lucado (1955 - )

American Evangelical Pastor and Author   

Word Study

Find fault

In Rom. 9:19 we read, “You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?” (KJV).

“Find fault” is the Greek word mémphomai (μέμφομαι = mem'-fom-ahee). The word means to blame, to censure, to accuse. It is to hold someone as blameworthy. In context, the questions asked are still raised by those who reject the Biblical doctrine of God’s sovereignty. The argument is that if God makes the choices, how can He hold man responsible? Who can go against what He does? In response the apostle Paul reaffirmed God’s sovereignty and rebuke the audacity of such questions. Drawing from the prophet Isaiah, he pictured the absurdity of the clay questioning the right of the potter to make of the lump whatever he wants (cf. Isa 29:16; 45:9). The sovereign Creator has the same authority over His creatures. God is the Potter and we are the clay. God is wiser than we are and we are foolish to question His will or to resist it.

Did You Know…

According to the Psalms David, it is a “wicked” person who “borrows and does not repay” (Psalms 37:21).

Bible Quiz

According to the Book of Numbers, what two things were to be included in the Passover celebration?

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz

Regarding the adulterous woman in the Gospel of John, what did the Lord Jesus said to her? “Go and sin no more” (John 8:11).

Prophecies Fulfilled by the Lord Jesus Christ

Darkness upon Calvary for three hours (Psalm 22:2; cf. Matt. 27:45)

"O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; and in the night season, and am not silent” (Psalm 22:2 NJKV).

In context, we have a further dimension of the Psalmist David’s agony in the fact that he made repeated, constant appeals to God and yet felt utterly unheard. No doubt David was faithful in prayer, but again this speaks of the Lord Jesus. As the Lord Jesus hung on the cross, crying out to God, and hearing no response, He refused to abandon prayer. On many occasions in the Gospels, we find the Lord Jesus spending hours at a time in prayer and fellowship with the Father. How awful then it must have been for Him who enjoyed unbroken fellowship with the Father to cry out to Him, only to have Him not answer! Nevertheless, the Lord Jesus continued to cry out to the Father even though He knew that the Father would not answer Him because it was appointed to Him to suffer, and to die for our sins. The final three hours of darkness that veiled the earth (noon to 3:00 p.m.) before the death of the Lord Jesus is surely the “night season” to which the psalmist referred (cf. Matt. 27:45). We often quit praying when God does not respond. But the Lord Jesus Christ continued to pray in spite of God not hearing Him. Our faith is seen in our persistency in time of difficulty.

Did You Know – Christian History

Stephen Merritt was a wealthy New Yorker, who played a pivotal role in the life of Sammy Morris, an African missionary who was sent to America with a burning desire to share the Holy Spirit.

Merritt gave much time to overseas missions and to New York’s poor. He had studied the work of the Holy Spirit. This led to the encounter for which he is most famous. As a secretary to the Methodist missionary-bishop, William Taylor, Merritt met many missionaries. One was a young lady named Elizabeth MacNeil. Merritt could see that she was feeling overwhelmed as she left for Africa. Gently he advised her to humble herself before the Lord and commit herself to Him. The Holy Spirit, he assured her, would empower her to do the work for which she was sent abroad.

MacNeil taught a young African named Sammy Morris everything she knew about the Holy Spirit. Morris hungered to learn more. When she said there was nothing else she could teach him, he asked, “Who taught you about the Holy Spirit?” “Stephen Merritt,” she replied. Morris questioned her. Who was this Stephen Merritt? Where did he live? Satisfied, he said goodbye. Without money or a map, he headed for America. Protected by God, who miraculously met his needs, Morris arrived in New York. And as arranged by God, the first person Morris met was an alcoholic who had once been in one of Merritt’s shelters. The man led Morris to the St. James Street Methodist Episcopal Church where Merritt served as pastor. Merritt was heading off to a prayer meeting and sent Morris next door to a rescue mission he funded. Arriving home, he remembered Morris and drove back to the mission. There he found seventeen men kneeling around the African, who had led them to Christ. That night, to the surprise of his wife, Dolly, Merritt took Morris into his home and put him up in the bishop’s room. Morris was the first black man who ever ate at Merritt’s table.

Much of what we know about Morris and his fervor for Christ was recorded by Merritt. He told this story of taking Merritt to show him the city and Central Park. On the way, Morris asked Merritt, “do you ever pray in a coach?’ Merritt assured him he did. Morris then placed his hand on Merritt, and both knelt and prayed. Morris’ prayer was that the Holy Spirit would so fill Merritt with Himself that he would only speak, write, and preach only of Him. According to Merritt, both were filled with the Holy Spirit, and Morris was the channel. Stephen Merritt died on January 29, 1917.

A Little Humor

During his sermon presentation, the church started to flood. With a smile on his face, the pastor quipped, “Looks like we’re all getting baptized today!”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“God’s love is like a candle; it shines brightest in the darkest moments!”