If you read my last blog post, you know that I urged you to look for the
blessings when trials and afflictions come your way. But my caveat was that “God is reserving some
things to reveal to us in heaven.” That
was probably my understatement of the year, as you will see.
In addition, following that writing I had the opportunity, thanks to a friend’s recommendation, to listen to a recently recorded conference address given by John Piper on suffering, with a clear teaching on how not to lose heart as we endure afflictions and times of trouble. With your permission I want to draw on some of the key insights I gleaned from his message that I believe you will find uplifting.
Many, if not most, of the God-inspired writers of the Scriptures dealt with various kinds and seasons of affliction. The Apostle Paul was certainly no exception. Beaten many times, shipwrecked, stoned and left for dead, stressed by strife and false teaching in the churches, and enduring many other hardships, Paul was no stranger to pain and trials and, therefore, well qualified to teach on the subject. After cataloging a number of experiences of this kind he was able to say:
In addition, following that writing I had the opportunity, thanks to a friend’s recommendation, to listen to a recently recorded conference address given by John Piper on suffering, with a clear teaching on how not to lose heart as we endure afflictions and times of trouble. With your permission I want to draw on some of the key insights I gleaned from his message that I believe you will find uplifting.
Many, if not most, of the God-inspired writers of the Scriptures dealt with various kinds and seasons of affliction. The Apostle Paul was certainly no exception. Beaten many times, shipwrecked, stoned and left for dead, stressed by strife and false teaching in the churches, and enduring many other hardships, Paul was no stranger to pain and trials and, therefore, well qualified to teach on the subject. After cataloging a number of experiences of this kind he was able to say:
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 ESV)
What has Paul found here that would help us in dealing with and
rising above our own troubles and afflictions?
In his conference message, Piper said, “God has designed the glory of
the human being such that the condition of the heart is profoundly influenced
by the content of the head – by what we focus our minds on.” Read that again and let it sink in for a
moment…
Whatever we fill our minds with will profoundly affect our feelings, attitudes, moods, desires and, yes, even our actions. How are our hearts to be transformed from being conformed to the world’s ways as believers in Christ? The answer: by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2), that is, in the truth of Christ.
Do you see that? God has actually put us in control of how we feel and the overall condition of our hearts by what we choose to focus our minds on. If we are walking in obedience to Him, we will choose to have our minds dwell on the truth and whatever is pure, right, honorable, of good report and excellent (Philippians 4:8). In that way we will be renewing our “inner self” and not lose heart, “even though our outer self is wasting away.”
My problem is that the visible, tangible, painful reality of right now tends to overwhelm the thoughts of the unseen things. But notice that the passage says that the inner self is being renewed “day by day.” That means that yesterday’s focus on God’s truth and those things I ought to have my mind dwell on will not do for today’s needs. I need a daily renewal. Just as yesterday’s meals will not satisfy today’s bodily needs. Every day, I need to “x-out” of my focus the external things of my situation and re-focus on the eternal things. Maybe this little gimmick will help you remember: if you take the “x” out of “external”, you have eternal!
Now, there’s one more point that John Piper made that we need to complete the picture. I believe this is perhaps the most important truth of all to keep us from losing heart. So much suffering seems to have no purpose other than for us to somehow make it through. Yet Paul characterized the sum total of his suffering as both “light” and “momentary.”
Considering all that he had been enduring, those terms seem almost incomprehensible for him to use, except for one thing. Paul had been given a revelation of what heaven is like. He knew that the glory we will receive is of such “weight” and for so long (eternity) that this present life is nothing by comparison.
And it gets even better because, according to verse 17, every moment of affliction (even for a lifetime), is preparing us for this weight of eternal glory. God never wastes anything, not even our trials and tribulations. Somehow, He is going to use these to produce a unique eternal glory for each of us who know Him. That gives meaning and purpose to what, humanly speaking, may seem only tragic and useless.
Finally, then, as you face adversity and trials, keep on looking for the blessings here and now. Then, remember to x-out the external (seen) things in your thinking and focus daily on God’s truth, especially His truth about suffering and the eternal results that He plans – so that you don’t lose heart.
Click to listen to John Piper’s excellent message on suffering
Whatever we fill our minds with will profoundly affect our feelings, attitudes, moods, desires and, yes, even our actions. How are our hearts to be transformed from being conformed to the world’s ways as believers in Christ? The answer: by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2), that is, in the truth of Christ.
Do you see that? God has actually put us in control of how we feel and the overall condition of our hearts by what we choose to focus our minds on. If we are walking in obedience to Him, we will choose to have our minds dwell on the truth and whatever is pure, right, honorable, of good report and excellent (Philippians 4:8). In that way we will be renewing our “inner self” and not lose heart, “even though our outer self is wasting away.”
My problem is that the visible, tangible, painful reality of right now tends to overwhelm the thoughts of the unseen things. But notice that the passage says that the inner self is being renewed “day by day.” That means that yesterday’s focus on God’s truth and those things I ought to have my mind dwell on will not do for today’s needs. I need a daily renewal. Just as yesterday’s meals will not satisfy today’s bodily needs. Every day, I need to “x-out” of my focus the external things of my situation and re-focus on the eternal things. Maybe this little gimmick will help you remember: if you take the “x” out of “external”, you have eternal!
Now, there’s one more point that John Piper made that we need to complete the picture. I believe this is perhaps the most important truth of all to keep us from losing heart. So much suffering seems to have no purpose other than for us to somehow make it through. Yet Paul characterized the sum total of his suffering as both “light” and “momentary.”
Considering all that he had been enduring, those terms seem almost incomprehensible for him to use, except for one thing. Paul had been given a revelation of what heaven is like. He knew that the glory we will receive is of such “weight” and for so long (eternity) that this present life is nothing by comparison.
And it gets even better because, according to verse 17, every moment of affliction (even for a lifetime), is preparing us for this weight of eternal glory. God never wastes anything, not even our trials and tribulations. Somehow, He is going to use these to produce a unique eternal glory for each of us who know Him. That gives meaning and purpose to what, humanly speaking, may seem only tragic and useless.
Finally, then, as you face adversity and trials, keep on looking for the blessings here and now. Then, remember to x-out the external (seen) things in your thinking and focus daily on God’s truth, especially His truth about suffering and the eternal results that He plans – so that you don’t lose heart.
Click to listen to John Piper’s excellent message on suffering
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