“Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So, we mix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen, since what seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
I Corinthians 4:17-18
One thing you can always count on in ministry is that you will face challenges.
Trials are simply a part of ministry.
Just when you think you’ve solved one crisis, another one will pop up.
Sometimes it’s external – like a ministry problem your church can’t seem to solve.
Other times its internal – like division that threatens to rip your congregstion apart.
And sometimes it’s personal – a relationship you can’t seem to heal or a health hurdle you can’t overcome.
When a crisis hits, it’s important to do the smart things necessary to get through it.
You listen to what the experts say, you make good choices, and you keep moving forward, remembering at the same time that this will pass.
No trial will last forever!
The bible says in First Peter 4:12, “Dear friends don’t be surprised at the fiery trails you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you.”
Since sin entered the world, nothing has worked perfectly in this life because sin broke everything on earth.
Isiah 24 says, “”The earth suffers for the sins of its people, for they have twisted God’s instructions, violated His laws, and broken His everlasting covenant…The earth it up. The earth has broken up. It has utterly collapsed.”
The earth is full of loss, abandonment and confusion.
Everything in nature is groaning.
We may wonder why God allowed sin and evil to enter the world.
It’s because He wanted to give us a choice.
As a result, we’re the ones who choose self-centeredness and cause problems in society and in our environment.
That’s why Jesus taught us to pray, “May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” because this is not heaven. Heaven is a perfect place with no sorrow, sickness, no sadness, and no stress.
But we should not expect heaven on earth.
One day we’ll get there, but we’re not there yet.
No matter what problem you’re facing, one day that problem will be a part of your history rather than your present.
Soon enough you will marvel all that God did in the midst of this trouble as you look at it from the other side.
But until then, there will be more challenges to face and adversity to endure.
But we always have hope because, “our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us, and eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
So, we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. First Corinthians 4:17-18
