LOOKING TO THE LORD JESUS
"For
our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far
more exceeding and eternal weight of glory."
-II
CORINTHIANS
4:17 [KJV]
O
ye suffering saints of God! ye tried and afflicted children of the
most High! raise up your thoughts as God may enable you—lift up
your eyes, and see what awaits you. Are you tried, tempted,
exercised, afflicted? It is your mercy. God does not deal so with
every one. It is because you are His children, that He lays on you
His chastening hand. He means to conform you to the image of His Son
in glory, and therefore He now conforms you to the image of His Son
in suffering. 'O but,' you say, 'I cannot believe it is so!' No; if
you could, it would not be much of a trial.
This
is the trial of faith—to go groaning on, struggling on, sorrowing
on, sighing on; believing against unbelief, hoping against hope; and
still looking to the Lord, though there is everything in nature to
damp the hopes and expectations of your waiting souls. Yet all will
end well with the people of God. Their life here is a life of
temptation, of suffering and trial; but heaven will make amends for
all. And if our faith is now tried as "with
fire,"
it will one day "be
found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus
Christ."
In that day when the secrets of all hearts will be brought to
light, the faith of thousands will be found to be little else than
presumption; but the faith of God's dear family will then be crowned
with "praise
and honour and glory;"
and they shall see the Lamb as He
is face to face, when all tears are wiped away from all faces.
-Gospel
report by preacher J.C. Philpot (1802-1869 A.D.)
June
8th, EARS FROM HARVESTED SHEAVES
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