Suffering is short

Bible passages about suffering always make me nervous. Life is good; so is this a warning? Do I expect the next thing that happens will bring suffering?

Suffering is no fun at all. Yet I wonder about defining suffering ever since one of our relatives said to us, “You have been through so much” and we had no idea what she was talking about. Obviously, what seems suffering for one person is not the same as suffering for others.

That said, most of the Bible passages about suffering clearly say that the hardships Christians go through are the same sufferings that Christ endured. What did He suffer? Just coming to earth from heaven had to be a shock to His system. Besides that extreme environmental change, He endured ridicule, rejection, being mocked and misunderstood, having no place of His own to live, being abandoned by those closest to Him, and of course the indescribable suffering for our sin as He was crucified.

However, after all of it, He rose from the dead, returned to heaven, and will someday reign in glory on the earth. This is the pattern. God says I will experience similar suffering but also enjoy His glory when it happens in its fullness.

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. (1 Peter 4:12–13)

Fiery trials are not about fire, but some of them feel like being in a furnace or a crucible where the dross is burned away. Jesus was sinless and did not need that kind of trial, yet when He bore the sin of the world, it must have felt the same only billions more intense. Oh my. I will never undergo what He did for me.

Another trial is much less severe — the mere fact of growing older. Lest I get discouraged, God says not to lose heart. While Jesus did not age (He is ageless), He lived here for a short time to prepare for me a future that is almost incomprehensible. I will experience eternity with Him in all His glory. Even thinking about it fills my heart with a longing to be there. This life, suffering or not, is brief and fading, momentary. That life is forever, crystal clear, unseen now but then it will be all that I see and know . . .

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16–18)

All suffering is short compared to the glory God has planned for His people.

Yet God knows that His children need encouragement. He sent the Holy Spirit to speak into my heart and mind. By that wonder of wonders, He reassures me that I am His child, and again that any suffering that happens to me is not a big deal when compared to the reality of what will happen next; I will see the glory of the Lord!

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. (Romans 8:16–18)

Whatever happens, Jesus keeps me in His care. Through Him, I may suffer, yet through Him I will one day stand in the presence of God . . .

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. (Jude 24–25)

Major or minor, in the future or on the doorstep, suffering is still no fun. Yet there is joy set before me so that I can endure until that day I will never suffer again.

Eternity is not far…

A busy mother of four often said, “Oh for the peace of the grave!” I like being busy, but that line crossed my mind this morning. I’ve papers to write and long articles to read for the course I’m taking, all due the end of this week. Also on the calendar are a baby shower, a funeral, a meeting, a doctor’s appointment, and finishing a book for book club, never mind the ordinary chores of daily life. I try to tell myself this is nothing compared to the schedule of the American president, but I don’t have his staff!

That mother was not serious in sighing, “Of for the peace of the grave,” nor am I, but it makes a nice lead into the devotional today. The topic is the nearness of heaven and I’m thinking how life can change from here to there, even in the blink of an eye.

Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents. (Luke 15:10)

Spurgeon, who wrote the devotional, is often prompted by verses that only suggest his topic. He starts with the idea of joyful angels, skips the part about repentance, and lands on the topic of those on earth not being as far from heaven as it might seem. He begins by saying Jesus Christ is nearer than anyone else we know.

I know that is true. Sometimes the sense of Jesus’ presence is all that keeps me going. Then Spurgeon jumps from that to say that heaven and earth are also close together, even like “two ships moored close to one another.” With a vivid word picture, he adds that only “one short plank of death” will enable me to step from one to the other.

I think immediately of two accidents in yesterday’s news. In one, five members of one family died instantly when their car was hit by another that sped through a red light. That short plank took them in a moment from this life to the next. In the other accident, the daughter of a friend is in hospital with life-threatening injuries after her car hit a light pole. One short plank indeed. Life can change so quickly.

My ship on earth continuously moves closer to mooring alongside that heavenly vessel. I’ve finished the business of yesterday, even though I feel intimidated at the log for today. I’ve had a full cargo and now an emptying. I’ve known battles, victories and sorrows. But that other ship, as Spurgeon describes, is “all golden, with its ensign flying and its sails all spread, fair as the angel’s wing.” It remains always beside me, always ready, so when the time comes, I can leap from this dark one to the deck of that happy one, a golden deck on which I will sail forever.

Two additional thoughts catch my attention. One is that all who have gone before me form a “cloud of witnesses” as I sail. While live my life here, they look down and observe. These are described in Hebrews 11 then Hebrews 12:1-2 says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus…” Are they cheering? I hope so.

The other thought is of the angels. They rejoice when I repent, meaning they are also keeping an eye on me which is a great comfort. What else do these angels do? The Bible says they are mighty and quick to obey God’s commandments according to His Word — and they are my servants, sent to help me…

Are they (the angels) not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation? (Hebrews 1:14)

The bridge between the two ships is a dread for most, yet as the days go by, it helps me to remember that no one who has been redeemed through faith in Jesus Christ is very far from heaven. It could be hours or days or months before I step across that plank, but knowing it is such a quick, short bridge is actually a comfort. Even more, knowing that those on the other side are experiencing great joy and perfect peace is also a comfort. I’m not far from Jesus, and when I’ve weathered all the storms of life, I will anchor with Him and the saints of God within the port of everlasting peace.

No Retirement

The older I get, the more aware I am of the shortness of life. It seems that time flies, even though the clock moves no faster than it did ten or twenty years ago. Not only that, all that I want to accomplish seems elusive. This is not mere bucket-list items (I do not have a bucket-list), but even the tasks started but not yet completed drag out and take longer than they should. 

I complain that I am too tired and even say that I don’t feel like doing anything. Many times, a nap or anything mindless is more appealing than doing the dishes or even tackling a quilting project. Yet God does not let me get away with my excuses. 

Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. (Romans 13:11–14)

I laugh at part of this passage. I’m not even slightly interested in the works of darkness that it describes. However, the flesh still has its desires. Put your feet up. Relax. Do nothing. Read a novel. Raid the refrigerator. Sip tea and gaze out the window.

Not that any of those things are always wrong. This is about motivation and priorities, about obeying God or doing my own thing. I’ve said before, I can avoid housework by reading my Bible all day, or I can avoid reading the Bible by doing housework all day. 

The passage is about what I do instead of being filled with the Spirit and controlled by the will of God. It is about saying no to the I-wants that keep me from obeying God. I’m not to make provision for that, blatant or subtle, easy to discern or foggy. 

Sleep is a euphemism for being out of touch, not alert to what is going on around me in the kingdom of God. This kind of sleep is induced by gratifying my fleshy desires to the point that I doze off and miss hearing the Lord speaking to me. While immorality and fighting may not be among those desires, the Holy Spirit will not let me use the old excuse of “It’s really not so bad” when it comes to selfish fulfillment. I’m not to make provision for anything that looks okay on the surface, but has become a cover up for my reluctance to walk where Jesus is leading me.

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Lord, You know me well. I can hide behind “respectable sins” as easily as some can delve into those more obvious. Instead of doing that, You ask me to wake up. One reason is that I have no idea when You will take me home and my salvation will be consummated. You are telling me it is far better to be walking in the light when that happens than messing around with any sort of selfishness, no matter how ‘innocent’ it might appear. You know my heart.

Life is short

Since he was diagnosed with CLL (chronic lymphatic leukemia), my husband often tells people that all of us wake up each morning by the grace of God. He demonstrates how a threat like this has a blessing in it; it reminds us that every life is terminal. Because life is short, we realize the importance of making sure where we stand with God.

Certainly some will say, “Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die” (Luke 12:19) denying that “it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27) and displaying the foolishness of those who say there is no God.

Those who take this attitude live with no hope, yet for most of us, the shortness of life hits us with thoughts of eternity. So it should. Even Jesus considered His relationship with the Father as He hung on the cross. Luke tells us that just before He died, Jesus showed great faith:

And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.’” Having said this, He breathed His last. (Luke 23:46)

Peter wrote about Jesus’ attitude as my example. He was talking about how I should “not return evil for evil” but instead bless my enemies (1 Peter 3:9) and then told how Jesus did it by “committing Himself to Him who judges righteously” (2:23).

The Greek word translated as “committed” means “to hand over for someone to keep.” When Jesus suffered, He handed over His circumstances and Himself to God because He was confident in the righteous judgment of God. He knew His Father had the power to make all things right. This confidence allowed Him to accept what was happening to Him, even death.

I see this in my husband. When he was told about the CLL, then a few months later had a heart attack, his trust in the Lord deepens and he encouraging others to also trust Christ. After all, what are the options? We could deny that death is inevitable, or say it is just the end and nothing else happens. Or we can look at Jesus. He died for us so we don’t have to face the wrath of God’s judgment on our sin. He rose from the dead for us too, so we know that God has power over death.

Life is short. No one knows when their life will end. The best option is to put our faith in Jesus Christ and commit our spirit into the keeping power of God.

The bonus is that He gives us an overwhelming confidence. We know that no matter what happens to us, He will hold us in His hands and we are eternally safe in His care.