GLORY THROUGH SUFFERING

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. 2 CORINTHIANS 4:17 Suffering not only makes us stronger now—it makes us able to endure with patience, increases our faith, teaches us to trust God, and leads us to depend on Christ and His Word—but also affects how we will function later. That’s why Paul went on to say our focus isn’t on today but the future: “We do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (v. 18). The greater our endurance through suffering, the greater our eternal reward. John MacArthur, Truth for Today : a Daily Touch of God’s Grace (Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman, 2001), 98.