Thought of the Day !!

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
Romans 8:18 (NIV)

Paul was one who really knew what it was like to suffer. He'd been beaten, flogged, imprisoned and even stoned (and miraculously survived the stoning). So when he makes this statement, we hear it from one who's a pretty good authority on the subject of suffering.

We all suffer to varying degrees. Some of us are lucky enough to suffer relatively little while on this earth. We'll never know what it feels like to go to bed for the 2nd or 3rd day without food. We'll never know what it looks like to wake up in a war zone. We'll never have to try to go home to a place that has been destroyed by a natural disaster.

Some suffer more than others, but the fact is that we will all suffer. And this should not be taken lightly. I hate it when someone says, "I know how you feel" or "Well, everything will be better one day." In actuality nobody knows exactly how another person feels and even though things WILL be better one day when we get to Heaven, it's normally said because the one saying it doesn't know what else to say. And it doesn't change the fact that we're suffering in the here and now.

So what do we do. We realize that some sufferings can actually make us stronger. They are the lessons of life that we learn from. Some will break us down and make us more dependent upon the one who created us. And some will seemingly not have any purpose. Of course only God knows that for sure. But the key is to lean heavily on your Lord to help you through any situation and know that He often uses others to help you. And even though we don't just say that things will be better one day and leave it at that...the fact is that they really will be. For God has so much planned for you and me who love Him and believe in His Son.

So listen to Paul as he tells us that nothing compares to what is to come for you and me...not even our sufferings.

In the love of Christ,
greg